Monitoring systems for identifying bovine respiratory disease

Abstract

Accurate diagnosis of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a critical component of applying appropriate therapy at the optimal time. Visual observation is the conventional manner for BRD diagnosis; however, this method has been shown to have relatively low diagnostic accuracy. Identifying diseased calves visually is a challenging prospect as observers often have limited time, and the clinical signs of BRD are subjective and variable among cases. Several tools have been evaluated to augment the BRD diagnostic accuracy including evaluation of rectal temperature, specific pathogen diagnostics, evaluation of the inflammatory profile, and determination of changes in behavior. New methods have been employed remotely monitoring cattle behavior and utilizing these data to determine changes in wellness status. Remote behavioral monitoring has shown promise for early, accurate BRD diagnosis, but the decision to use this technology should be based on the expected benefits compared to costs of employing the system.