Clinical and Ultrasonographic Studies in Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) Affected Calves

Abstract

Bovine Respiratory Diseases (BRD) are one of the most common and important disease problem affecting newborn calves. The aim of this study was to use clinical respiratory score and thoracic ultrasonography as a screening method for the diagnosis of BRD in newborn calves. This study was carried out on 59 newborn calves in the Al-salhia farm for investment in Alsharqia Governorate, Egypt. These calves were divided into two groups. The first group (G1) including 16 healthy control calves and the second group (G2) including 43 newborn calves suffered from respiratory disorders. The most prominent clinical finding in BRD-affected calves was fever, nasal and ocular discharge, coughing with abnormal tracheal and lung sounds. According to the ultrasonographic examination of the lung, the lower respiratory tract disorders classified lesion into lobar pneumonia 12 calves (35.3%), lobular pneumonia 16 calves (47.1%), mixed pneumonia 3 calves (8.82%) in addition to lung abscess 3 calves (8.82%). Clinical respiratory score and thoracic ultrasound score showed a highly significant increase in BRD affected calves, meanwhile, CRS showed a non-significant change in calves suffered from upper and lower respiratory tract disorders. TUS revealed a non-significant change in calves with lobar and mixed pneumonia and in lung abscess, in addition to a significant increase in calves with lobar pneumonia when compared with lobular pneumonia. BRD affected calves had CRS ≥ five meanwhile calves with TUS ≥ two were considered sick.