Evaluation of the Effect of Serum Antibody Abundance against Bovine Coronavirus on Bovine Coronavirus Shedding and Risk of Respiratory Tract Disease in Beef Calves from Birth through the First Five Weeks in a Feedlot

Authors

Aspen M. Workman, USDA-ARS U.S. Meat Animal Research CenterFollow
Larry A. Kuehn, USDA-ARS U.S. Meat Animal Research CenterFollow
Tara G. McDaneld, USDA-ARS U.S. Meat Animal Research CenterFollow
Michael L. Clawson, USDA-ARS U.S. Meat Animal Research CenterFollow
Carol G. Chitko-McKown, USDA-ARS U.S. Meat Animal Research CenterFollow
John Dustin Loy, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

9-2017

Citation

American Journal of Veterinary Research 78:9 (September 2017), pp. 1065–1076.

doi: 10.2460/ajvr.78.9.1065

Comments

U.S. Government Work.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of serum antibody abundance against bovine coronavirus (BCV) on BCV shedding and risk of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in beef calves from birth through the first 5 weeks in a feedlot.

Animals: 890 natural-service crossbred beef calves from 4 research herds.

Procedures: Serial blood samples for measurement of serum anti-BCV antibody abundance by an ELISA and nasal swab specimens for detection of BCV and other viral and bacterial BRD pathogens by real-time PCR methods were collected from all calves or subsets of calves at predetermined times from birth through the first 5 weeks after feedlot entry. Test results were compared among herds, over time, and between calves that did and did not develop BRD. The associations of various herd and calf factors with test results were also evaluated.

Results: At the calf level, serum anti-BCV antibody abundance was not associated with BCV shedding, but BCV shedding was positively associated with BRD incidence before and after weaning. The mean serum anti-BCV antibody abundance at weaning for a group of calves was inversely related with the subsequent incidence of BRD in that group; however, the serum anti-BCV antibody abundance at weaning for individual calves was not predictive of which calves would develop BRD after feedlot entry.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Results indicated that serum anti-BCV antibody abundance as determined with ELISA were not associated with BCV shedding or risk of BRD in individual beef calves from birth through the first 5 weeks after feedlot entry.