A case series of 21 adult cows with acute infectious bronchopneumonia: clinical, laboratory, and thoracic ultrasonographic findings

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Abstract
Background: Acute infectious bronchopneumonia is widely reported in adult cattle, yet most descriptions focus on postmortem findings. Hypothesis/Objectives: To describe signalment, clinical, hematological, and ultrasonographic findings in affected cows, and to identify pathogens and clinical findings associated with outcome. Animals: Twenty-one cows from 11 farms. Methods: Prospective case series. All cows underwent clinical examination, thoracic ultrasonography, bronchoalveolar lavage for culture and PCR, and CBC. Thoracic ultrasonography was repeated to assess lesion dynamics after antibiotic treatment. Outcomes were classified as favorable (clinical recovery and maintained milk production) or unfavorable (death or reduced milk production leading to premature drying-off and early culling). Descriptive statistics were computed, and univariate analyses were performed to identify variables associated with outcome. Results: Mean age at inclusion was 47 months (range, 24-104). Cases occurred mainly in winter (10/21) and during the early postpartum period (10/21); 17/21 were dairy cows. Typical clinical signs associated with acute respiratory disease (coughing, wheezes, and crackles) were rarely observed. Thoracic ultrasonography revealed frequent consolidations (17/21) and pleural effusion (13/21), with lesion size decreasing over time. Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida were identified by PCR in bronchoalveolar lavage samples in 13/21 and 18/21 cases, respectively. Unfavorable outcomes (11/21) were associated with nasal discharge, left shift on CBC, reduced ruminal contractions, higher respiratory rate on day 0, and deeper consolidation lesions on days 0 and 5. Conclusions and clinical importance: Ultrasonography is a valuable cow-side tool that supports diagnosis and provides key information on the clinical course of acute infectious bronchopneumonia in adult cows.
Funding Information
  • MSD Animal Health

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