Dynamics of subclinical pneumonia in male dairy calves in relation to antimicrobial therapy and production outcomes

Quick thoracic ultrasonography (qTUS) is increasingly used as an on-farm method to diagnose clinical and subclinical pneumonia in dairy calves. The primary objective of this prospective cohort study was to describe dynamics of lung consolidation in a purchase-dependent production system for male dairy calves in relation to antimicrobial therapy and respiratory diagnostics. In addition, we studied the association of cured and uncured pneumonia with average daily gain (ADG) and cold carcass weight (CCW). The third objective was to determine the effects of arriving with lung consolidation on the probability of developing chronic unresponsive pneumonia and reduced performance. A total of 295 male dairy calves were intensively followed by qTUS and clinical scoring on 7 strategic occasions (wk 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12) during the production cycle. Of the calves, 17.6% (52/295) arrived with a lung consolidation ≥1 cm. At the first outbreak of respiratory disease (wk 1 after arrival), this incidence had risen to 30.8%. Initial therapy with tulathromycin and subsequently doxycycline appeared ineffective, resulting in a increase to 43.8% of calves having pneumonia in wk 4. At the start of the first outbreak (wk 1), the majority (86.8%) of the pneumonia cases were subclinical. At wk 4, the outbreak became more clinical, and treatment with amoxicillin resulted in a cure risk of 52.7%. Culture and nanopore sequencing diagnostics on nonendoscopic broncho-alveolar lavage (nBAL) samples identified bovine respiratory syncytial virus and Mycoplasma bovis as the dominant agents in the first outbreak. The isolated M. bovis strain showed mutations associated with macrolide resistance. The second outbreak was characterized by a Pasteurella multocida superinfection and isolation of multiple M. bovis strains from nBAL diagnostic testing. Evaluated over the complete observation period, 83.4% of the calves developed consolidations ≥1 cm on qTUS. Of these calves, 53.9% (135/246) were cured by antimicrobial therapy. Chronic pneumonia (≥30 subsequent days of pneumonia) was seen in 13.9% of the animals (n = 41). Calves with uncured or chronic pneumonia had a lower ADG (992 ± 174 g/d and 930 ± 146 g/d, respectively) compared with calves that never developed pneumonia (ADG = 1,103 ± 156 g/d). In contrast, calves that did fully cure trended toward a lower ADG than calves that never developed pneumonia, but differences were no longer significant. Also, the effect of uncured pneumonia was no longer significant for CCW. Calves with lung consolidation upon arrival had a lower ADG (981 ± 159 g/d vs. 1,045 ± 159 g/d) and were more likely to develop chronic pneumonia [odds ratio = 4.2; 95% confidence interval = 2.1-8.6] compared with calves without consolidation upon arrival. Animals with chronic pneumonia, in turn, had a lower CCW than animals without chronic pneumonia (10.3 ± 4.4 kg; 95% confidence interval: 1.6-19.1 kg). This study documents the consequences of subclinical pneumonia upon arrival and pneumonia developed later in the production cycle on production outcomes in a veal calf setting. Both qTUS and nBAL diagnostics provide important information, offering potential for better control and prevention of bovine respiratory disease in dairy calves.