Agreement of nasal swabs, guarded nasopharyngeal swabs, and bronchoalveolar lavage relative to transtracheal wash for the diagnosis of viral and bacterial pathogens in dairy calves with bovine respiratory disease

Authors

  • D. J. Doyle Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762
  • A. R. Woolums Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762
  • B. C. Credille Department of Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
  • R. D. Berghaus Department of Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
  • T. W. Lehenbauer Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Tulare, CA 93274
  • S. S. Aly Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Tulare, CA 93274

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro20153603

Keywords:

bovine respiratory disease, BRD, nasal swab, guarded nasopharyngeal swab, transtracheal wash, bronchoalveolar lavage, dairy cattle, calves

Abstract

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is common in dairy calves, with 21.3% of mortality in preweaned calves and 50.4% of mortality in weaned heifers attributed to BRD (USDA NAHMS, 2002). Four sampling methods are used for antemortem identification of respiratory pathogens: the nasal swab (NS), guarded nasopharyngeal swab (NPS), transtracheal wash (TTW), and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Each method has advantages and disadvantages. The TTW bypasses contamination from the nasopharynx, but the procedure is invasive and requires technical skill. The BAL and TTW directly sample the lower airways, but BAL, NS, and NPS can be contaminated by nasopharyngeal flora. Compared to NS, NPS provides a guarded sample of the pharyngeal recess, which maybe more representative of BRD pathogens. To our knowledge, no published study has compared the results of all four of these methods in cattle with clinical BRD. The objective of this study was to compare the agreement of results obtained by NS, NPS, or BAL with those obtained by TTW for isolation of BRD pathogens in dairy calves with acute undifferentiated BRD.

Cover image of the 48th Conference Proceedings: An image of Dr. Fred Gingrich II dressed in a red shirt and overalls and standing in front of dairy cows in a barn interior. Yellow background.

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Published

2015-09-17

Issue

2015

Section

Research Summaries 3

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