Gabriela Anteveli

The transition period in dairy cows increases susceptibility to various diseases. Abomasal diseases, particularly abomasal displacement (AD) and abomasal ulcers (AU), are important causes of production losses, early culling, and compromised animal welfare. However, few contemporary reviews have comprehensively synthesized these conditions. This narrative review aims to critically synthesize the main risk factors, integrate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, and present recent advances in diagnosis and treatment. Evidence indicates that AD and AU are disorders closely associated with a negative energy balance, hypocalcemia, and systemic inflammation. These factors interact through complex immunometabolic pathways. Inflammatory activation, often triggered by endotoxins or sterile inflammation, increases pro-inflammatory cytokine production, disrupts calcium homeostasis, and gastrointestinal neuromuscular function. Consequently, there is a reduction in ruminal and abomasal motility, decreased dry matter intake, and a greater predisposition to gas accumulation and abomasal displacement, in addition to alterations in the integrity of the abomasal mucosa that favor ulcer formation. Furthermore, concomitant diseases such as subclinical ketosis, metritis, lameness, and subacute ruminal acidosis amplify these processes. Despite advances in diagnosis, clinical overlap with other digestive disorders remains a challenge. Preventive strategies should prioritize nutritional management, modulation of inflammation, and maintenance of metabolic homeostasis. Current evidence suggests that AD and AU may be associated with systemic immunometabolic dysregulation rather than representing entirely isolated disorders. However, further studies are needed to confirm the proposed mechanisms in cattle and to determine their implications for prevention and control strategies.

We report here 6 cases of bovine eurytrematosis on 2 farms (dairy and beef cattle) in southeastern Brazil. The cattle had different primary lesions that explained their clinical conditions; however, upon autopsy, common to all animals were abnormalities in the pancreas and the presence of Eurytrema spp. All parasitized pancreases were swollen, firm, and tan to yellow-pink. Upon dissection, numerous parasites were observed, the pancreatic ducts were thickened and dilated, and the parenchyma was fibrotic. Histopathologic findings were multifocal-to-diffuse chronic interstitial pancreatitis. Despite clinical signs, such as low body condition score, compatible with eurytrematosis, it was challenging to determine whether these signs were caused primarily by the pancreatic lesion or by the primary disease affecting the cows. Bovine eurytrematosis may be associated with other underlying conditions, making its diagnosis difficult and potentially impacting the prognosis of the affected animals. Our findings underscore the harmful nature of Eurytrema coelomaticum as a parasite and emphasize that it may be more than an incidental finding at autopsy.

Pteridium spp. is one of the most common genera of toxic plants in the national territory, and its consumption results in acute consequences with high intake over a short period or chronic manifestations when ingestion occurs in small portions over a long period. This work is a report on chronic intoxication by Pteridium spp. in a cow approximately four years old. The animal presented with persistent hematuria as the main clinical manifestation, which was associated with progressive weight loss, decreased voluntary dry matter intake, and apathy. A tumor in the urinary bladder was identified via videoscopy and was confirmed to be a hemangioma responsible for persistent hematuria. Additionally, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and papilloma were identified in the upper digestive tract.

The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of lung lesions in dairy calves on weight gain throughout the pre-weaning phase, mortality until 19 months of age, and age at first conception, and its association with transfer of passive immunity (TP) and diarrhea and establish the efficiency of on-farm calf pneumonia diagnosis. Thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) was conducted on 193 Holstein calves aged 1 to 24 weeks, and data related to TP, diarrhea, weight gain, and age at first conception were collected. Out of these, 109 calves were used to compare TUS findings with on-farm diagnosis, which was based on treatment records. For each unit increase in plasma protein (TP) above 5.0 g/dL, there was a reduction in the number of lesions > 1 cm (R2= 0.0061; P= 0.003) and cases treated for pneumonia (R2= 0.021; P= 0.044), whereas more days in diarrhea represented more treatments (R2= 0.022; P= 0.04). The number of intercostal spaces (ICS) affected had a negative effect on the time required to reach a body weight of 370 kg (R2= 0.025; P = 0.001) and an increase in the mean value of the number of ICS with consolidations > 1 cm by one unit resulted in a 51% increase in the death rate (hazard ratio = 1.51; P= 0.002) up to 19 months of age. In the comparison of TUS and on-farm diagnosis, 36.69% (40/109) of the calves were misdiagnosed. These results underscore the importance of enhancing diagnostic methods and strategies for pneumonia in calves, as well as identifying and mitigating associated risk factors to improve health, future productivity, and survival.

The most commonly used techniques in the field are the pulmonary auscultation, Wisconsin score (WI), California score (CA), and pulmonary ultrasonography. However, with the exception of the latter, no studies have compared thoracic radiography with other possible techniques in calves. Therefore, the objective of the study was to compare and verify the agreement between clinical score techniques, pulmonary auscultation, and ultrasonographic and radiographic evaluations, considering the latter as reference test. Thirty‐three calves were evaluated from 17 to 60 days of age using pulmonary auscultation, Wisconsin score (WI), California score (CA), thoracic radiography, and pulmonary ultrasonography at five preestablished moments and at any time when presenting clinical respiratory disease. Of the 160 evaluations, 21% were positive for thoracic radiography, 21% for ultrasonography, 10% for pulmonary auscultation, 16% for CA score, and 14% for WI score. In the concordance analysis, there was a moderate correlation between thoracic radiography and ultrasonography ( k = 0.6035) and between pulmonary auscultation and WI score ( k = 0.5833) and CA score ( k = 0.5277), and substantial between the WI and CA score methods ( k = 0.7258). All techniques used in the study were useful for the diagnosis of pneumonia; however, due to high accuracy and practicality, ultrasonography proved to be an interesting method to be implemented on farms.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) poses significant challenges on beef and dairy farms, affecting mortality rates, animal welfare, and production efficiency. Although pulmonary ultrasonography is highly sensitive and specific for monitoring lung lesions and diagnosing BRD, its practical application could be optimized by focusing on the most commonly affected lung lobes. This study first evaluated the efficacy of focused lung ultrasonography for diagnosing BRD in calves, examining individual lung lobes and their associations versus the extensive lung scanning under various disease prevalence scenarios. Then, the relationship between individual and combined clinical respiratory signs versus lung consolidation was analyzed. In a combined analysis, 193 Holstein calves from a longitudinal study and 112 Angus calves from a cross-sectional study underwent a total of 1,265 complete bilateral thoracic ultrasonographic evaluations from 1 to 6 mo of age. Then, the agreement and sensitivity (Se) of specific lung lobe combinations compared with the findings from total lung ultrasonography was assessed. The classification and regression tree (CART) algorithm was used to suggest an optimal examination sequence, and logistic regression was applied to associate specific clinical signs with the presence of lung consolidation, adjusting for breed and calf age. Findings revealed that the most sensitive areas are the cranial (kappa value [κ] = 0.867; Se = 84.7%) and caudal portion of the right cranial lobe (κ = 0.433; Se = 40.3%), the caudal portion (κ = 0.235; Se = 20.6%) of the left cranial lobe, and the middle lobe (κ = 0.25; Se = 22%). The optimal lobe combinations for focused lung ultrasonography were identified as the right cranial lobe paired with either the left cranial lobe or the middle lobe. Focused techniques achieved Se greater than 94% and maintained good agreement. These focused techniques were relatively robust to various true lung consolidation scenarios. The CART analysis recommended initiating examinations with the right cranial lobe, proceeding to the left cranial lobe, and concluding with the middle lobe. Although spontaneous cough was linked to pneumonia presence, reliance on a single clinical sign is not advised due to low Se (26.8%) and high specificity (85.4%); it should merely prompt further ultrasound assessment. In conclusion, focused lung ultrasonography, especially utilizing the right cranial lobe in conjunction with the left cranial lobe or the middle lobe, emerged as an effective strategy for focused pulmonary ultrasonography, preserving the accuracy of the results.

Parasitic otitis in cattle is normally caused by nematodes of the genus Rhabditis spp. and is a common problem in Gir breed. Parasitic otitis can cause premature culling and even death of animals. Despite its importance, there is no effective standardized treatment protocol for this condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate two treatments for parasitic otitis caused by Rhabditis spp. in Gir cattle. The external left ear of the animals was washed with 2% boricated alcohol, while the right ear received topical application of Triclorfon, allantoin and zinc oxide paste. The treatments were performed weekly in the first month and monthly over the next two months. Monthly, the ears of all animals were washed under pressure with a physiological solution before treatment. The recovered solution was analyzed, and the number of nematodes counted. Neither treatment was effective in reducing the number of nematodes recovered or the otitis score, but weekly treatment seemed more promising, independent of the drug used.

Pregnancy toxemia has a high mortality rate and few cases with effective treatment are reported, especially when associated with secondary diseases. Therefore, the present work reports the case of a sheep, which was referred to the veterinary hospital of UFMG, in the last month of pregnancy, presenting apathy, hyporexia and sternal recumbency. After the diagnosis of pregnancy toxemia, the fetuses were removed while still alive, but did not survive. Monitoring was started with blood gas analysis, blood glucose assessments and laboratory tests. The results were consistent with liver damage, which was justified by the condition of lipolysis. Treatment consisted of electrolyte replacement plus 50% glucose and potassium chloride, along with administration of antibiotics (ceftiofur, 5mg/kg/SID/IM/7 days), flunixim meglumine (2.2mg/kg/SID/IM first day and 1.1mg/kg/SID/IM on the second and third days) and omeprazole (4mg/kg/SID/oral). The patient had secondarily clinical laminitis, which was treated with cryotherapy and anti-inflammatory drugs, in addition to mastitis, using a single dose of intramammary antibiotics. The work demonstrated the effectiveness of the treatment of pregnancy toxemia, when performed early and intensively, associated with daily clinical and laboratory monitoring of the animal.