Respiratory infections in Norwegian dairy calves

Abstract

The aims of this study were to estimate the seroprevalence of respiratory agents in Norwegian dairy calves and to identify risk factors for respiratory disease. The participating 135 herds were randomly selected from those in The Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording System with at least 15 cow years. Each herd was followed for 1 yr. Blood samples from calves of >150 d of age (n = 1,348) were analyzed for antibodies against parainfluenza virus 3, bovine coronavirus (BCoV), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), and Mycoplasma bovis. Calves reported to have been on pasture (n = 139) were tested for antibodies against Dictyocaulus viviparus. Seroprevalences for parainfluenza virus 3, BCoV, BRSV, and D. viviparus at the calf level were 50.2, 39.3, 31.2, and 4.3%, respectively. No calves were antibody positive for M. bovis. Calves in herds with BCoV-seropositive calves had an increased risk of respiratory disease compared with herds in which BCoV antibodies were not detected [hazard ratio (HR) = 3.9], as had calves in herds in which the majority (>54%) of the sampled calves were seropositive for BRSV (HR = 2.7). Other factors found to increase the risk of respiratory disease in calves were shared housing with cows during the first week of life compared with separate housing (HR = 16.7), a larger herd size (>50 cow years) compared with smaller herds (HR = 8.2), more than an 8-wk age difference between calves housed together in the same group pen compared with having pen mates of a more similar age (HR = 3.9), previous recordings of diarrhea compared with no recorded diarrhea (HR = 3.9), and leaving calves with dams for >24h after birth compared with earlier separation (HR = 3.5).