Abstract
Liver abscessation is an important metabolic disorder that commonly afflicts cattle consuming cereal-based, high-concentrate diets. Economic ramifications of liver abscessation are substantial, and include liver condemnation, decreased body weight gain, poorer efficiency of feed utilization, reduced carcass yield, and impairments in operational efficiency of commercial abattoirs. The etiological agent most commonly associated with liver abscesses is Fusobacterium necrophorum, which is an anaerobic, Gram-negative, nonmotile, nonsporulating, and rod-shaped (pleomorphic) bacterium. Fusobacterium necrophorum is one of the major proteolytic species of bacteria in the rumen, and it is believed to have a major role in degradation of dietary lysine. Herein we describe interactions between lysine and F. necrophorum, and the potential role of dietary lysine as an enabling factor in the development of liver abscesses in cattle.
Highlights
Aggressive feeding programs, such as those used by North American feedlot operations, often are associated with increased incidence of liver abscesses in cattle at slaughter [1]
Incidence of liver abscesses typically is greater in feedlot steers than in heifers, which likely is due to differences in feed intake between heifers and steers [8]
Holstein feedlot steers, which normally are fed for longer periods compared to beef breeds, have greater incidence of abscessed livers compared to slaughtered beef breeds [8]
Summary
Aggressive feeding programs, such as those used by North American feedlot operations, often are associated with increased incidence of liver abscesses in cattle at slaughter [1]. A variety of dietary characteristics have been studied and associated with incidence of liver abscesses in feedlot cattle. Animals fed diets with greater proportions of roughage were observed to have lower incidence of liver abscesses [5].
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