Bovine respiratory microbiota of feedlot cattle and its association with disease

Abstract

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD), as one of the most common and costly diseases in the beef cattle industry, has significant adverse impacts on global food security and the economic stability of the industry. The bovine respiratory microbiome is strongly associated with health and disease and may provide insights for alternative therapy when treating BRD. The niche-specific microbiome communities that colonize the inter-surface of the upper and the lower respiratory tract consist of a dynamic and complex ecological system. The correlation between the disequilibrium in the respiratory ecosystem and BRD has become a hot research topic. Hence, we summarize the pathogenesis and clinical signs of BRD and the alteration of the respiratory microbiota. Current research techniques and the biogeography of the microbiome in the healthy respiratory tract are also reviewed. We discuss the process of resident microbiota and pathogen colonization as well as the host immune response. Although associations between the microbiota and BRD have been revealed to some extent, interpreting the development of BRD in relation to respiratory microbial dysbiosis will likely be the direction for upcoming studies, which will allow us to better understand the importance of the airway microbiome and its contributions to animal health and performance.

Utilizing the Gastrointestinal Microbiota to Modulate Cattle Health through the Microbiome-Gut-Organ Axes

“…One example of how these commensals cause disease is in the case of Mannheimia haemolytica . After the stressors occurring after arrival at a feedlot occur and cause dysbiosis, M. haemolytica rapidly proliferates within the URT [ 186 ]. It then travels to the bronchial epithelial cells, where it damages tight junction proteins, causes lesions in the lungs, releases leukotoxins and lipopolysaccharides, which cause further damage to the respiratory tract, and triggers the host’s immune response causing inflammation.…”

The Prevalence, Coexistence, and Correlations between Seven Pathogens Detected by a PCR Method from South-Western Poland Dairy Cattle Suffering from Bovine Respiratory Disease

“…Determining the prevalence of individual pathogens and the correlation between them can help to develop more effective management and prevention strategies for BRD in this geographic area. It may also contribute to the understanding of the interrelationships between pathogens and to the better knowledge of calves’ nasal bacterial communities [ 27 , 28 , 29 ]. The aim of this study was the epidemiology of BRD along with the determination of the prevalence and relationships between seven pathogens detected in the course of BRD in sick dairy calves from south-western Poland to improve the knowledge on coinfections in BRD.…”

Does swab type matter? Comparing methods for Mannheimia haemolytica recovery and upper respiratory microbiome characterization in feedlot cattle

“…Perhaps, one of the the most common techniques for antemortem detection of BRD pathogens is the use of long (29.5-inch; 74.9 cm) double-guarded swabs [ 16 – 19 ] originally designed for uterine culture in mares. A perceived advantage of using these swabs is the ability to sample deep in the nasopharynx with less likelihood of contamination from the nares and rostral airways, given their guarded structure.…”