Detection and economic impact related to bovine respiratory disease, shrink, and traveling distance in feedlot cattle in Northwest Mexico

Abstract

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the main reason for economic loss in feedlots. A cross-sectional study was conductedin order to detect the pathogens involved in BRD. A total of 88 animals with respiratory signs were sampled for diagnosis using PCR.The detected pathogens were bovine respiratory syncytial virus (80.6%),Mannheimia haemolytica(79.5%),Pasteurella multocida(68.1%), parainfluenza 3 virus (23.8%), bovine herpes virus-1 (20.4%), and bovine viral diarrhea virus (11.3%). The average number oftreatments applied per animal was 1.3 with an estimated treatment cost of 16 USD per treatment/animal. Animals receiving more thanone treatment averaged costs exceeding 38 USD per animal. In total, 77% of all animals received the first treatment during the first 3weeks after arrival. We found a relationship between shrink percentage and the distance traveled by the livestock from its origin to thefeedlot (P = 0.049). BRD represents a costly condition for feedlot operations. It is imperative that cattleman and veterinary practitionersrecognize the necessity to apply additional preventive medicine strategies to reduce the impact of BRD. Preconditioning and a moresystematic use of methaphylaxis may improve our ability to accurately identify the most effective strategies to reduce the impact of BRD.