Impact of respiratory disease, diarrhea, otitis and arthritis on mortality and carcass traits in white veal calves

Abstract

BackgroundLittle is known on the effects of common calf diseases on mortality and carcass traits in the white veal industry (special-fed veal), a highly integrated production system, currently criticized for the intensive pro- and metaphylactic use of antimicrobials. The objective of the present study was to determine the impact of bovine respiratory disease (BRD), diarrhea, arthritis and otitis on the economically important parameters of mortality, hot carcass weight (HCW), carcass quality, fat cover and meat color. For this purpose, a prospective study on 3519 white veal calves, housed in 10 commercial herds, was conducted. Case definitions were based on clinical observation by the producers and written treatment records were used.ResultsCalves received oral antimicrobial group treatments in the milk during 25.2% of the production time on average. With an increasing percentage of the production cycle spent on oral antimicrobials, HCW reduced, whereas the odds for insufficient fat cover or an undesirable red meat color both decreased. Of the calves, 14.8%, 5.3%, 1.5% and 1.6% were individually diagnosed and treated for BRD, diarrhea, arthritis and otitis, respectively. Overall, 5.7% of the calves died and the mortality risk was higher in the first weeks after arrival. Calves that experienced one BRD episode showed a 8.2 kg reduction in HCW, a lower fat cover and an increased mortality risk (hazard ratio (HR) = 5.5), compared to calves which were not individually diagnosed and treated for BRD. With an increasing number of BRD episodes, these losses increased dramatically. Additionally, calves, which experienced multiple BRD episodes, were more likely to have poor carcass quality and an undesirable red meat color at slaughter. Arthritis increased the mortality risk (HR = 3.9), and reduced HCW only when associated with BRD. Otitis did only increase the mortality risk (HR = 7.0). Diarrhea severely increased the mortality risk (HR = 11.0), reduced HCW by 9.2 kg on average and decreased carcass quality.ConclusionsDespite the massive use of group and individual treatments to alleviate the most prevalent health issues at the fattening period, the effects of BRD, diarrhea, otitis and arthritis on survival and performance are still considerable, especially in cases of chronic pneumonia with or without arthritis. Controlling calf health by effective preventive and therapeutic strategies and in particular the prevention of chronic BRD is key for the profitability of veal operations.

Evidence of respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza-3 virus in Mexican sheep

“…PI3V prevalence was also different: a higher prevalence was observed in the tropic (95.6%) than in the uplands (72.1%). Both prevalence values were higher than those reported in feedlot calves from Europe, with 8.4% for bovine RSV (BRSV) and 21.2% for PI3V [27], but similar to those reported in calves from USA, with 75% of seropositivity for BRSV and 50% for PI3V [14].…”

“…This is the first report on RSV and PI3V seroprevalence in lambs and adult sheep in Mexico. Lambs should gain size and weight in this production stage, but it is clear that animals are becoming infected and could exhibit a drop in production parameters, since it has been demonstrated that respiratory diseases can increase mortality up to 10% in this stage [24] or cause lower food ingestion, and hence a drop in production rates [27]. Antibody titers ranged from 1:10 through 1:1280 for RSV and from 1:20 through 1:160 for PI3V, suggesting that most animals suffer constant reinfections, either by continuous low-level virus circulation or by virus reintroduction [9].…”

Bovine respiratory disease complex associated mortality and morbidity rates in feedlot cattle from southeastern Brazil

“…Additionally, it is of paramount importance to identify the infectious agents and associated diseases of the BRD complex [29,30], as well as to evaluate and establish adequate control and preventative methods [30,31], implement efficient therapeutic and metaphylactic strategies [32,33]. Recently, models have been developed to estimate the risks of BRD occurring in feedlot cattle [28,34,35].…”

Developing an early warning system for bovine respiratory disease

“…Today, the BRD cost in the North American beef cattle industry alone is reported to be greater than US $ 500 million annually (Miles 2009). In dairy cattle, BRD significantly influences first lactation survival (Bach 2011), and in the veal industry, which processes the excess male dairy calves, a single episode has been shown to reduce carcase weight by 9 kg on average (Pardon and others 2013). …”