Mycoplasma bovis infections in dairy calves

Abstract

The role of Mycoplasma bovis as a cause of pneumonia, arthritis, conjunctivitis and otitis media in calves, particularly milk fed dairy calves, is well established. The organism can readily be identified from the upper and lower respiratory tracts of both healthy and diseased calves suggesting that asymptomatic carrier or subclinical disease states within calf populations can also occur. Reports from cattle practitioners and disease surveillance data would suggest that the incidence of M. bovis-associated disease in calves is increasing ( APHA Surveillance focus 2018 ). There is much that we do not know about M. bovis infections ( UK Cattle Expert Group, 2018 ). This article will focus on some of what we do know about the organism, the associated diseases and their pathogenesis in milk fed dairy calves and how this knowledge can be best applied for disease prevention and treatment.