Veterinary Research

California Dairy Study Raises New Questions About How H5N1 Spreads

Fri, 08 May 2026 15:46:20 GMT

For months, discussions around H5N1 in dairy cattle have focused largely on infected milk and contaminated milking equipment. New research from California suggests the transmission picture may be far more complex.

In a study published this week in PLOS Biology , researchers investigating 14 H5N1-positive California dairies found evidence supporting several possible transmission pathways, including aerosols generated during milking and contamination within dairy wastewater systems. The study also identified signs of subclinical infection in some cows, raising new questions about how easily infected animals may be missed during outbreaks.

The findings add to growing evidence that the dairy environment itself may play a larger role in H5N1 transmission than previously recognized.

Infectious H5N1 Virus Detected in Dairy Parlor Air

One of the study’s most significant findings came from air sampling inside milking parlors.

Researchers collected aerosol samples during milking and detected not only viral RNA, but infectious H5N1 virus in some air samples. Viral material was also identified in exhaled breath collected from infected cattle.

Environmental sampling findings included:

Infectious virus recovered from parlor air samples and wastewater systems
Viral RNA identified in cow breath samples
Evidence of infection in some cows without obvious clinical signs

The distinction between viral RNA and infectious virus is important. Detecting RNA alone does not confirm viable virus is present, while recovery of infectious virus suggests aerosolized particles could potentially contribute to transmission.

The authors stopped short of concluding that airborne spread is a primary transmission route on dairies. However, the findings raise new questions about respiratory exposure risks in enclosed milking environments.

Milking parlors routinely generate aerosols through animal movement, splashing fluids, equipment use and high-pressure cleaning systems. The study suggests those environments may warrant closer attention during outbreak investigations and biosecurity planning.

The findings also have implications for worker safety. Since the U.S. dairy outbreak began, human infections linked to dairy cattle exposure have generally been mild, with conjunctivitis among the most commonly reported symptoms. Aerosol exposure during milking has remained a persistent concern for occupational health experts.

Wastewater Systems are a Possible H5N1 Exposure Route

Researchers also detected widespread contamination throughout dairy wastewater systems.

H5N1 viral RNA was identified in parlor drains, wastewater sumps, lagoons and reclaimed water systems. Infectious virus was recovered from some wastewater-associated samples as well. This finding may be particularly relevant for modern dairy operations, where reclaimed water is frequently reused for flushing and other management purposes.

The authors noted wastewater systems could create additional opportunities for virus movement within the farm environment through splashing, aerosol generation, contaminated surfaces and possible wildlife exposure. Wild birds have already played a major role in the global spread of H5N1. Contaminated wastewater or standing water could represent another point of interaction between dairies and wildlife populations.

The study does not establish wastewater systems as a major driver of transmission. However, it does suggest environmental contamination pathways may deserve more attention as researchers continue investigating how the virus behaves in dairy systems.

Some Infected Cows Showed Few Clinical Signs

The study also identified evidence of subclinical infection.

Some cows tested positive for H5N1 despite showing limited or no obvious clinical illness. In several cases, cows produced H5N1-positive milk without severe visible mastitis signs. Researchers also detected antibodies in animals without previously recognized disease.

Infection patterns within udders added another layer of complexity. Researchers noted some patterns did not fully align with expectations if transmission were occurring solely through contaminated milking equipment.

If milking equipment was the only major transmission route, infections between udder quarters would likely appear more predictable. Instead, the findings suggested additional exposure pathways may be involved.

These subclinical infections could complicate surveillance and outbreak detection efforts. Farms relying primarily on visibly sick cows may miss infected animals, particularly during the early stages of transmission. That has implications for testing strategies, animal movement decisions and outbreak response planning.

The findings also highlight how differently H5N1 behaves in cattle compared to poultry, where highly pathogenic avian influenza often causes rapid and severe disease.

Biosecurity Implications Continue to Evolve

The authors emphasized more research is needed to determine which transmission pathways are most influential on commercial dairies. Still, the study broadens the conversation around H5N1 biosecurity.

Early outbreak discussions focused heavily on milk contamination and fomite transmission through milking equipment. This study suggests aerosols, wastewater systems, environmental contamination and subclinical infections may also play a role.

That could influence future discussions around:

Parlor ventilation
PPE use during milking
Wastewater handling
Environmental sanitation
Surveillance strategies
Monitoring apparently healthy cows

The paper also underscores how much remains unknown about H5N1 adaptation in dairy cattle. Researchers identified mutations in some environmental samples that have previously been associated with mammalian adaptation, though the significance of those findings remains unclear.

This study offers an updated look at a disease situation that continues to evolve rapidly — and suggests transmission on dairies may involve a broader network of environmental exposures than initially believed.

Scientists Uncover a Hidden Methane Engine Inside the Rumen

Wed, 06 May 2026 13:55:25 GMT

Methane emissions from cattle are rooted in normal rumen function. Fermentation produces hydrogen, which methanogenic archaea convert into methane. What has been less clear is how protozoa, long known to be associated with methanogens, amplify that process.

New research published in “Science” provides an answer. The study shows rumen ciliates play a more direct role than previously understood, not just hosting methanogens but actively fueling them.

Rumen ciliates are single-celled protozoa that make up a substantial portion of the rumen microbial biomass. They are characterized by hair-like structures called cilia, which they use for movement and feeding. In the rumen, they contribute to fiber breakdown, starch metabolism and microbial turnover, placing them at a central point in fermentation dynamics.

Discovery of the Hydrogenobody

At the center of the finding is a newly identified organelle, termed the hydrogenobody.

This structure functions as a metabolic engine within ciliate cells. It produces hydrogen, maintains anaerobic conditions and supports methanogens living in close physical association.

By producing hydrogen exactly where it is needed, the hydrogenobody increases methane production efficiency at the cellular level. Imaging and genetic labeling indicate this organelle is widespread among rumen ciliates, although its abundance varies between species.

Linking Ciliate Data to Cattle Outputs

To determine whether this mechanism translates to animal-level outcomes, researchers paired large-scale genomic data with methane measurements from dairy cattle. They assembled a catalog of roughly 450 rumen ciliate genomes and integrated it with nearly 1,900 multi-omics datasets. These data were then linked to measured methane emissions, allowing direct comparisons between microbial profiles and production outcomes.

The analysis identified consistent associations between ciliate abundance, species composition and methane output. Certain ciliate groups, like Isotricha and Dasytricha, were repeatedly linked to higher emissions. Higher hydrogenobody abundance followed the same trend, supporting a functional role rather than a coincidental association.

Isotricha intestinalis

(Sharon Franklin)

Why Does this Matter for Cattle Management?

The implications extend into day-to-day herd management.

Methane mitigation strategies have largely focused on feed additives, broad microbiome suppression or direct inhibition of methanogens. While some approaches show promise, they can be inconsistent under field conditions and may carry trade-offs for rumen function.

Identifying a specific cellular driver shifts the focus upstream. Targeting rumen ciliates — or the hydrogen-producing machinery within them — could allow for more precise methane reduction without broadly disrupting fermentation.

Protozoal removal has already been shown to reduce methane emissions, although it is not widely adopted due to practical and nutritional considerations. This work provides a clearer mechanistic explanation and may help refine more targeted, feasible approaches.

New Methane Mitigation Strategies for Cattle

The hydrogenobody introduces a level of precision that has been largely missing from methane mitigation efforts.

Instead of managing the rumen ecosystem broadly, researchers may now be able to focus on a defined cellular mechanism. This opens the door to more targeted interventions, including precision feed additives, microbiome-directed strategies and potentially selecting for lower-emission microbial profiles within herds.

Key questions remain around how to selectively target specific ciliate populations, how stable these interventions will be under real production conditions and how they may influence digestion and animal performance.

This represents a shift toward more precise, mechanism-driven tools for methane reduction — approaches that could integrate more cleanly into herd health and nutrition programs without compromising rumen function.

New Dual-Route Vaccine Shows Promise Against Bird Flu in Cattle and Beyond

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:03:07 GMT

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) is no longer just a poultry problem. Since its detection in U.S. dairy cattle in 2024, the virus has spread across herds, cutting milk production, driving economic losses and raising concerns about zoonotic transmission to humans. Infected cows can lose substantial milk output in a matter of weeks. The virus has been detected in milk, respiratory secretions and mammary tissue.

Despite this, there are currently no licensed influenza vaccines for cattle, leaving producers reliant on biosecurity and herd management to limit spread.

Against this backdrop, researchers at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln have developed a vaccine designed to keep pace with a virus that is both evolving and expanding its host range. Rather than targeting a single strain, the approach uses a centralized consensus H5 antigen, positioned near the center of the virus’s evolutionary tree to maximize cross-protection across variants.

Dual-Route Delivery Targets Where Infection Starts

What sets this vaccine apart is not just its breadth, but how it is delivered. Researchers combined intramuscular and intranasal administration, aiming to activate immune defenses both throughout the body and at the primary site of infection.

“The idea was that if we put it intramuscularly, we can prevent it from spreading in the body, and then a mucosal aspect, intranasally, would prevent it from spreading from animal to animal,” said Eric Weaver, professor of biological sciences and director of the Nebraska Center for Virology, in a news release .

This dual-route design is intended to generate:

Systemic immunity through circulating antibodies and T cells
Mucosal immunity in the respiratory tract, where influenza viruses first establish infection

Together, these responses may improve protection against disease while also reducing viral transmission.

The platform uses adenoviral vectors in a prime–boost regimen, switching vector types between doses to strengthen immune responses and avoid interference from preexisting immunity.

Strong and Broad Immune Responses

The vaccine was evaluated in both mice and Holstein dairy calves, with consistent findings across species. In each model, it generated robust immune responses spanning multiple arms of the immune system.

Antibodies isolated from animal serum and nasal swabs recognized a wide panel of H5 strains, from early isolates in the late 1990s through recent 2024 bovine strains. Mucosal IgA responses increased notably after booster vaccination, indicating the vaccine is effectively engaging respiratory immunity.

In parallel, strong T-cell responses were observed against both historical and contemporary viral strains, supporting the idea that protection may extend beyond traditional neutralizing antibody responses.

Complete Protection in Challenge Studies

In mouse challenge experiments, the vaccine demonstrated strong protective efficacy. Animals exposed to lethal doses of divergent H5N1 strains, including a recent bovine isolate, showed minimal clinical signs and survived infection.

Vaccinated mice maintained body weight and showed no significant disease
All unvaccinated controls experienced severe disease and were euthanized

This protection occurred even when neutralizing antibody responses were limited against some strains, suggesting broader immune mechanisms, including T cells, play a key role.

Still Early, but Promising

“We’d like to have a vaccine for the farm and the farmer, and everything shows that this would be an effective vaccine platform for humans as well,” Weaver said.

While the findings are encouraging, the vaccine remains in the experimental stage. The study did not include challenge trials in cattle, and questions remain about durability, field performance and effectiveness against fully virulent strains.

Even so, the results point to a meaningful shift in influenza vaccine design. By combining cross-reactive antigen targeting with dual-route delivery, this approach aims to anticipate viral evolution rather than react to it.

If those advantages hold up in real-world conditions, it could offer a much-needed tool for managing H5N1 in cattle and reducing the risk of further spillover.

What the Semen Microbiome Reveals About Bull Fertility

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:05:33 GMT

Bacteria in bull semen have long been viewed as a problem to manage. New research suggests they may also be a signal to interpret. A recent study published in Animals from the St. Petersburg State University of Veterinary Medicine links the semen microbiome to fertility outcomes, raising a different question: What does that microbial profile reveal about the bull itself?

How Bacteria in Bull Semen Have Traditionally Been Managed

For years, the focus has been on controlling bacterial populations in semen to protect sperm function and prevent disease transmission. Hygiene protocols, extender formulation and antibiotic inclusion all reflect that priority.

This approach has been effective for preserving semen quality and limiting biosecurity risks. It has also shaped how fertility is evaluated. Motility, morphology and concentration remain the primary metrics, each focused on the sperm cell itself.

What this framework largely excludes is the biological environment surrounding those cells.

What a New Study Shows About the Bull Semen Microbiome

The new work set out to characterize that missing layer. Using 16S rRNA sequencing, the authors profiled the semen microbiome across bulls, quantifying both microbial diversity and the relative abundance of bacterial taxa.

Rather than treating bacteria as background noise, the study evaluated microbial communities as a variable of interest. The analysis identified dominant phyla within bull ejaculates, including Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria, with measurable variation between individuals.

The study then examined how those microbial patterns aligned with fertility outcomes. The result was not a single causative organism, but a set of associations between microbial profiles and reproductive performance.

They found bulls with excellent quality semen had a higher abundance of Actinobateriota: from around 2% of the microbiota of low-quality sperm to around 14% in excellent-quality sperm. Further, Bacteriodes fagilis was detected in 75% of samples of low-quality sperm, while it was only in 20% of excellent-quality sperm samples.

It is important to note the study did not test whether bacteria influence fertilization directly, but whether the microbiome tracks with differences in sperm quality.

Is the Semen Microbiome Random or Structured?

One of the most consistent findings across studies is that the semen microbiome is not random.

The dominance of a small number of bacterial phyla observed in the Animals study aligns with earlier work. For example, Cojkic and colleagues reported bull semen microbiota are structured and repeatable, with Proteobacteria often comprising a large proportion of total abundance.

At the same time, variation between bulls appears to be meaningful. In the Animals study, microbial composition differed across individuals, and those differences aligned with fertility outcomes. Similar patterns have been reported by Koziol and colleagues who found significant differences in microbial communities between bulls with satisfactory versus unsatisfactory semen quality.

Taken together, these findings support a shift in interpretation. The semen microbiome behaves less like noise and more like a measurable, variable characteristic.

Does the Semen Microbiome Affect Fertility or Reflect It?

The central question is not whether the microbiome is associated with fertility. Multiple studies now support that conclusion. The question is what that association represents.

There is a plausible case for biological interaction. Work from the University of Georgia reported associations between microbial composition and sperm function, including motility and mitochondrial activity, with statistically significant differences observed between microbial profiles.

These findings suggest microbial communities could interact with sperm physiology under certain conditions.

However, the alternative explanation remains equally important.

Microbial composition has also been shown to shift with external and host-related factors. Studies from North Dakota State University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences have documented changes in semen microbiota associated with age, environment and management conditions, with measurable variation in dominant taxa across groups.

These patterns indicate the microbiome may reflect the broader physiological and environmental context in which sperm are produced and handled.

Taken together, the available evidence supports a cautious interpretation: The microbiome may not be acting on fertility. It may be reporting on it.

A Missing Layer in Bull Evaluation

If that interpretation holds, the implications are practical.

Current fertility evaluation tools focus on the sperm cell. Motility, morphology and concentration provide valuable information, but they offer limited insight into the biological context surrounding those cells.

The semen microbiome introduces a potential additional layer. By capturing aspects of the reproductive tract environment and systemic conditions, microbial profiles may help explain variability that is not accounted for by conventional metrics.

Emerging work supports this direction. Integrative approaches combining microbiome, genomic and metabolic data have reported improved prediction of fertility-related outcomes compared to single-measure approaches.

At the same time, these approaches remain in early stages of development and are not yet part of routine evaluation.

Before the Semen Microbiome Can be Used in Practice

Translating microbiome data into practical tools will require further refinement. Across studies, reported microbial compositions vary depending on sampling technique, sequencing platform and analytical approach, making it difficult to define consistent reference ranges or thresholds for interpretation. It also remains unclear whether diversity metrics, specific taxa or broader community structure will prove most informative for evaluating fertility.

At the same time, none of this diminishes the importance of bacterial control in semen processing. Hygiene and antibiotic use remain essential for maintaining semen quality and preventing disease transmission. However, research indicates bacterial populations can persist despite these measures, with detectable microbial communities present even after standard processing and antibiotic inclusion.

Taken together, these findings point to a subtle shift in perspective. For years, the focus has been on controlling bacterial populations in semen. Emerging research suggests they may also be worth interpreting. The value of the semen microbiome may not lie in changing fertility outcomes, but in helping explain them.

Early Embryonic Loss in Cattle: How TKDP Research Hopes to Improve Pregnancy Success

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:26:05 GMT

Early embryonic loss in cattle can occur even after a cow conceives and signals pregnancy — often before anyone knows she was ever pregnant.

At Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, researchers are working to understand why. A new project led by Viju V. Pillai is focused on decoding the earliest biological signals that determine whether a pregnancy establishes or fails.

This is not a failure of timing or technique. The most consequential losses in cattle reproduction are happening earlier than most management decisions can reach, at a stage where biology either stabilizes the pregnancy or quietly resets the system.

Why do cows lose pregnancies early?
Early embryonic loss in cattle is often driven by failed communication between the embryo and the uterus during the first two weeks of gestation. Current research suggests proteins such as TKDPs may play a key role in this process, though their exact function is still being defined.

Early Embryonic Loss in Cattle: The Hidden Driver of Reproductive Inefficiency

Early embryonic loss in cattle is not a rare event. It is a defining inefficiency in modern cattle production. Fertilization rates in cattle are typically high, often exceeding 85% to 90% under well-managed conditions. Even so, an estimated 30% to 50% of embryos fail to survive the first month of gestation, highlighting that the primary bottleneck is not conception, but early embryonic survival.

Pregnancy losses often occur before producers have any opportunity to respond. These failures increase breeding costs, extend calving intervals and reduce overall productivity, making them a major economic concern across both beef and dairy systems.

The economic impact is substantial across U.S. beef and dairy systems, even if it is rarely captured in a single number. The scale is well recognized, but the underlying cause has remained far less clear.

For years, reproductive management has focused on improving breeding success and detecting pregnancy earlier. That approach assumes the key event is conception. Research efforts like the one underway at Purdue are shifting that focus toward a more fundamental question: What allows a pregnancy to hold in the first place?

A Focus on TKDP Proteins: Understanding Early Pregnancy Loss in Cattle

The Purdue-led project is supported by a four-year, $650,000 New Investigator award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, with a focus on the earliest stages of pregnancy — before conventional diagnostics can detect success or failure.

During this narrow window, the embryo must establish a functional relationship with the uterus. Researchers describe this process as a molecular handshake — a coordinated exchange of signals that determines whether the pregnancy progresses or fails.

At roughly 14 days after conception, the embryo is still microscopic, yet it must signal clearly enough to prevent the uterus from returning to a normal estrous cycle. If that signal falters, the pregnancy ends before it effectively begins.

The project centers on a family of ruminant-specific proteins known as trophoblast Kunitz domain proteins (TKDPs). These proteins are being investigated for their potential role in regulating early embryo-maternal communication, making them a focal point for understanding early embryonic loss in cattle.

TKDPs Versus PAGs: What Determines Pregnancy Success in Cattle?

Pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs) have long served as the industry’s primary biomarker for pregnancy detection in cattle. Their reliability has made them a cornerstone of blood-based testing programs. PAGs confirm a pregnancy exists, though only after key biological steps have already occurred.

TKDPs appear to function earlier in the sequence. Current research suggests they may be involved in early embryo-maternal signaling events, particularly within trophoblast cells that later form the placenta.

These proteins are being investigated for their potential role in establishing the conditions required for pregnancy success:

Supporting initial attachment between the trophoblast and uterine lining
Regulating maternal immune tolerance to embryonic tissue
Coordinating early signaling pathways between embryo and uterus

PAGs tell you a pregnancy exists. TKDPs may help determine whether it was ever viable.

How Researchers Study Early Pregnancy in Cattle: Trophocysts and CRISPR

Studying early embryonic loss in cattle directly presents a fundamental challenge. The biology is too early, too small and too transient to observe in a controlled way. That constraint is driving the adoption of new experimental systems.

Researchers are using three-dimensional culture systems and embryo-like structures known as trophocysts to model early placental development and signaling outside the animal. These systems allow controlled observation of how early pregnancy signals are generated and maintained.

Gene editing with CRISPR-Cas9 enables targeted disruption of specific TKDP genes within these models. Removing individual components of the signaling network allows researchers to observe how breakdowns in that molecular exchange may contribute to pregnancy loss.

What Early Embryonic Loss Means for Veterinarians, Producers and One Health

The key shift this work hopes to provide is conceptual. Early embryonic loss in cattle is no longer viewed solely as a downstream outcome of management decisions. It is increasingly being investigated as a failure of early biological signaling.

Management factors still matter, though their role becomes clearer through this lens. Heat stress, nutritional imbalances and early post-breeding conditions influence the molecular environment in which this signaling occurs.

The long-term goal is practical. Identifying the biological mechanisms behind early pregnancy loss could eventually support strategies that improve reproductive efficiency and herd productivity.

The implications extend beyond cattle. The biology underlying early pregnancy is highly conserved across species, with processes such as immune tolerance and embryo-maternal communication following similar principles in both livestock and humans.

Insights into these early signaling pathways may contribute to broader reproductive research, aligning with One Health efforts that connect animal and human health.

Garlic in the Water Trough? What New Research Means for Fly Control in Cattle

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:19:27 GMT

For decades, producers across the U.S. and Canada have used garlic-infused minerals or salt as a natural fly control strategy. The biological rationale is straightforward: sulfur-containing compounds from garlic are absorbed, circulated and released through the skin to repel flies.

But when tested under field conditions, the results have been inconsistent.

A two-year Canadian grazing study evaluating garlic-infused trace mineral salt illustrates that variability. In one group, cattle receiving garlic had 47% fewer flies and 41% fewer defensive behaviors compared to controls. In another group, however, no significant difference was observed, despite the same supplementation strategy.

The authors point to several possible drivers, including environmental conditions, genetic differences and variation in supplement intake.

Other controlled work in the U.S. has produced weaker signals. In a 14-week field study in Louisiana, cattle consuming garlic through mineral only achieved about a 25% reduction in horn fly numbers, a level described as not meaningful relative to expected control standards.

Taken together, the North American literature points to a consistent pattern: garlic shows biological potential, but results are not reliable enough to stand alone as a primary control tool.

Intake May Be The Limiting Factor

Both of these studies relied on free-choice mineral or salt delivery, where intake can vary widely between animals and across time. Even when average consumption appears adequate, dose per head per day is not controlled with free-choice delivery, making consistent exposure difficult to achieve.

In practice, this does more than reduce efficacy — it makes outcomes unpredictable at the herd level.

This shifts the conversation from “Does garlic work?” to a more practical question: Can it be delivered consistently enough to produce a repeatable effect?

Delivering Organosulfur Compounds Through Water

A 2026 Australian study published in Tropical Animal Health and Production evaluated that question under commercial conditions. Instead of relying on free-choice intake, researchers delivered garlic-derived organosulfur compounds through drinking water in a grazing beef herd.

This approach directly addresses one of the most consistent limitations identified in North American work: variable intake across animals.

The study followed 266 beef cows split into treatment and control groups with the same stocking density with no changes to routine management. Both groups received the same base ration over the 16-week experimental period, but the treatment group received the garlic-derived supplement through water.

With intake standardized at the herd level, a clearer signal emerged:

Treatment group: ~80% reduction in fly counts within two weeks
Control group: ~20% increase over the same period
By week four:
- Treated: ~110 flies/head
- Control: ~350 flies/head
Seasonal pressure increased fly numbers in both groups:
- Treated: ~550% increase from baseline
- Control: ~6,500% increase

Behavioral Response Aligns With Reduced Fly Pressure

Behavioral indicators followed the same pattern as fly counts. Defensive behaviors — including tail flicking, head tossing and stamping — increased in both groups as fly pressure rose. However, the increase was substantially lower in treated cattle (68%) compared to controls (186%), indicating reduced irritation under similar conditions.

These behavioral changes reflect more than visible discomfort; they are tied to grazing time, stress and overall performance.

Relevance to Fly Control in North American Systems

While the study focused on buffalo flies, the implications extend to horn flies, the primary ectoparasite in U.S. and Canadian grazing systems.

Both species:

Remain on the host for most of their life cycle
Feed frequently on blood
Trigger similar behavioral and production responses

The underlying mechanism — repellency via metabolized organosulfur compounds — is expected to translate across fly species.

Where This Fits in Practice

Water-based delivery of garlic-derived compounds may have a role as part of an integrated fly control strategy, particularly in:

Extensive grazing systems
Herds with inconsistent mineral intake
Operations where labor limits handling-based interventions

North American research has shown garlic-based fly control can produce reductions in some settings, but results have been inconsistent. Across studies, variation in intake has been a recurring limitation.

This new study suggests when intake is controlled through water, the same compounds may produce a more consistent response at the herd level. At the same time, the findings should be interpreted within the study’s constraints. The trial lacked replication, did not measure individual intake and did not assess compound stability in water.

This work emphasizes how a product is delivered can be just as important as what is delivered when it comes to real-world performance.

New Genetic Insights Could Help Dairy Industry Tackle Crampy in Cattle

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:55:39 GMT

A long-mysterious condition that has quietly contributed to premature culling and lost lifetime productivity in dairy herds may finally be coming into focus. New research from the University of Guelph shows bovine spastic syndrome, or Crampy, is not just unpredictable, but genetically influenced — and increasingly manageable through selection.

The study, which analyzed more than 54,000 Holstein cattle across 678 Canadian herds, identified multiple genomic regions associated with the condition and demonstrated that incorporating this information into breeding programs improves prediction accuracy. Previous work had suggested a genetic link, but this large-scale dataset both quantifies heritability and pinpoints specific regions tied to disease risk.

What is Crampy?

This chronic neuromuscular disorder typically appears in adult cattle, most often between 2 and 7 years of age. It is characterized by intermittent muscle spasms, usually beginning in the hind limbs. Early signs can be subtle, including stiffness or brief tremors, but episodes may progress in severity and duration over time.

As the condition advances, mobility declines. In many cases, affected animals are ultimately removed from the herd due to welfare concerns and reduced productivity.

Crampy has long been suspected to have a genetic component, but the lack of clear markers has limited the ability to act on that assumption. Environmental and metabolic factors have been explored, yet they have not consistently explained disease occurrence. As a result, control has relied on observation and culling rather than prevention.

What the New Research Shows

The new study confirms Crampy is moderately heritable, meaning genetics plays a meaningful — but not exclusive — role in whether an animal develops the condition.

Researchers identified 41 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with Crampy across the genome. Many of these markers are located near genes involved in neuromuscular signaling, ion transport and muscle contraction, which closely align with the clinical signs observed in affected cattle.

The analysis also uncovered genetic correlations with mineral-related traits, including calcium and zinc balance. While these relationships do not establish causation, they provide biological plausibility and suggest disruptions in mineral handling and nerve excitability may contribute to disease expression.

From a selection standpoint, one of the most important findings is the improvement in genomic prediction accuracy. When genomic information was included, reliability of breeding values increased by up to 17% compared to traditional approaches. In practical terms, this means producers and breeding programs can identify higher-risk animals with greater confidence, even before clinical signs appear.

Importantly, the study found no strong antagonistic relationships with major production traits, indicating selection against Crampy can be incorporated into existing breeding goals without compromising performance.

What Does This Mean for Treatment and Management?

There is no effective treatment for Crampy. With no reliable medical or nutritional intervention available, control has historically depended on management decisions:

Culling severely affected animals
Reducing handling stress to limit episode triggers
Avoiding use of affected animals in breeding decisions

This has made long-term control difficult under traditional approaches and reinforced the need for preventive strategies.

A Shift Toward Prevention

What this research changes is the ability to act proactively.

With clearer genetic markers and improved prediction tools, breeding decisions can play a central role in reducing the condition over time. This also increases the importance of identifying and recording affected animals at the herd level.

For bovine spastic syndrome prevention:

Record and track suspected Crampy cases consistently
Flag affected cow families when making breeding decisions
Work with genetic advisers as selection tools become available
Avoid retaining replacements from clearly affected lines

Crampy remains a challenging condition, but the path forward is becoming more defined — shifting the focus from reacting to individual cases to systematically reducing risk at the population level.

Rethinking BRD Risk as Bovine Coronavirus Shows Up in Pen Air

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:26:00 GMT

Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) has long been associated with both enteric and respiratory disease in calves, but how it moves through a group has remained less clear. A new study published in JDS Communications provides evidence that infected calves can release viral RNA into the air through normal breathing, raising important questions about the role of shared airspace in transmission.

The findings shift the conversation from strictly contact-based spread toward a more complex picture where air within a pen may contribute to disease dynamics.

Detecting the Virus in the Air Calves Breathe

Researchers conducted the study using group-housed calves in a commercial-style setting collecting repeated air samples within pens alongside exhaled breath samples from individual animals over the study period. Using PCR testing, they detected BCoV RNA both in pen air and in the breath of calves. Calves whose breath samples tested positive for BCoV also tested positive via nasal swab.

Bovine coronavirus breath sample collection from calves was performed using a soft-sided chamber onto gelatin filters at varying distances (1, 2, 3).

(JDS Communications (2026). DOI: 10.3168/jdsc.2026-1019)

This confirms infected animals are not just contaminating surfaces or infecting penmates through close contact. They are also releasing viral RNA into the surrounding air during exhalation.

Importantly, pen air samples were collected under real-world housing conditions rather than controlled laboratory settings, making the findings directly relevant to commercial calf operations.

What This Means for BRD Transmission

The presence of viral RNA in air does not prove infectious virus is being transmitted over distance. However, it does demonstrate BCoV can become aerosolized and be present within shared airspace. In practical terms, this suggests calves may be exposed to viral material simply by breathing the same air as infected penmates.

This is particularly relevant in group housing systems where:

Air exchange may be limited
Calves are stocked at higher densities
Pathogen load can accumulate over time

Taken together, these conditions create an environment where airborne exposure could contribute to overall disease pressure, even if it is not the sole route of transmission.

Reframe Bovine Respiratory Disease Risk

Bovine coronavirus is already recognized as part of the broader bovine respiratory disease complex. What this study adds is a potential mechanism that could contribute to how respiratory pathogens move within a group, even when direct contact appears limited.

This reinforces the need to think beyond individual animal interactions and focus on the environment those animals share.

Key risk factors to revisit include:

Ventilation effectiveness, not just the presence of airflow
Air mixing patterns within pens and barns
Stocking density, particularly in enclosed spaces
Humidity and temperature, which influence aerosol persistence

Air quality has long been a cornerstone of respiratory disease prevention. This work strengthens the idea that it may also influence how viral material is distributed within a barn.

Not Proof, but a Meaningful Step

The authors note the study detected viral RNA, not live infectious virus. That distinction is important. Detecting RNA confirms viral material is present and moving through the air, but it does not confirm calves are becoming infected through that route.

Even so, the findings provide a foundation for future research aimed at determining whether airborne BCoV is infectious and under what conditions transmission is most likely to occur. For now, the study demonstrates that aerosolization is biologically plausible and likely occurring in commercial settings.

Practical Implications for the Field

While more research is needed to fully define the role of airborne transmission, the immediate takeaway is straightforward. Airspace should be treated as a shared risk factor, not just a background condition.

That means revisiting basic management questions:

Is ventilation removing stale air or simply redistributing it?
Are calves exposed to consistent airflow or pockets of stagnant air?
Does stocking density allow for adequate air exchange per animal?

Improvements in these areas can reduce overall pathogen load and may help limit the spread of respiratory viruses within a group.

For operations struggling with recurring respiratory disease, this research offers a useful lens. The challenge may not only be which pathogens are present, but how they are distributed through the environment. Recognizing air as a potential pathway of exposure supports prevention strategies built around ventilation, stocking density and environmental control.

Preweaning Performance Data Emerges for Beef-on-Dairy Calves

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:18:21 GMT

Preweaning performance shapes everything that follows, but for beef-on-dairy calves, investigation into that early-life picture has been sparse. While crossbreeding has been evaluated extensively in the feedlot, data from the first weeks of life has lagged behind. A new Journal of Dairy Science study from the University of Guelph helps close that gap, observing the early life performance of crossbred calves compared to Holsteins.

Key findings from the study include:

Crossbred calves demonstrated comparable or improved preweaning growth.
Health outcomes, including morbidity and mortality, were similar between groups.
Crossbred calves had reduced incidence of diarrhea and required fewer respiratory disease retreatments.
No additional management complexity was identified for crossbred calves.

Growth Performance Signals Early Advantages

Crossbred calves showed comparable or improved growth during the preweaning period. Crossbred calves had increased body weights by day 28, and weighed ~7 kg more than Holstein calves by day 84. This is consistent with what would be expected from heterosis, particularly for traits like growth efficiency and robustness.

That shift is notable because most of the economic rationale for crossbreeding has focused on downstream performance. This work suggests those advantages may begin earlier than previously documented.

This pattern is not isolated. In a controlled study of Angus × Holstein calves, crossbreds gained about 0.14 kg/day more than Holsteins and reached higher weaning weights under the same management conditions. Additional work reports similar trends, reinforcing performance differences can emerge during the preweaning period rather than later in production.

From a clinical standpoint, early growth is also a useful indicator of how well calves are handling nutrition, colostrum management and disease pressure. On that front, crossbred calves appear to perform at least as well as Holsteins under typical conditions.

Health Outcomes Show Targeted Advantages

Overall morbidity and mortality were similar between groups; however, important differences emerged in specific disease outcomes. Holstein calves had a higher incidence of diarrhea and were more likely to require repeat treatments for respiratory disease compared with crossbred calves. This pattern suggests that while total disease occurrence was similar, crossbred calves experienced fewer or less persistent clinical events.

These findings do not indicate a need for different protocols, but they do suggest crossbred calves may be less likely to require repeated intervention once disease occurs. This has potential implications for labor and antimicrobial use.

Measures of passive transfer, including serum total protein, were similar between groups, indicating these differences were not driven by variation in colostrum management.

Implications for Veterinary Practice and Calf Value

As beef-on-dairy crossbreeding becomes more common, veterinarians are increasingly involved in guiding how these programs are implemented and evaluated. The growing body of preweaning data provides a more complete foundation for those discussions.

Key implications include:

Crossbred calves can be integrated into existing calf-rearing programs without added health risk
Growth advantages may begin during the preweaning period, not just later in life
Standard health and nutrition protocols remain appropriate across genetic groups
Management fundamentals continue to have the greatest influence on outcomes
Early-life performance should be considered part of the overall value equation in beef-on-dairy systems

Taken together, the evidence points in a consistent direction: beef-on-dairy calves perform as well as, if not better than, Holsteins early in life, without added health risk. As more data emerges, that consistency strengthens confidence these calves can be managed within standard systems while delivering comparable or improved early-life performance.

Could Mad Cow–Like Brain Damage Occur Without Infectious Prions?

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:37:35 GMT

Few discoveries in veterinary medicine have been as unsettling as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The realization that a misfolded protein could behave like an infectious agent forced a total rethink of disease biology. Now, research from Goldansaz and colleagues at the University of Alberta suggests something even more unexpected: spongiform neurodegeneration may occur even when classical infectious prions cannot be detected.

Brain Damage Without Infection

To determine if brain damage can be triggered by noninfectious pathways, researchers compared five distinct treatment groups in a mouse model. By isolating the effects of systemic inflammation and laboratory-misfolded proteins, the study aimed to see if the hallmark infectious agent was truly a requirement for disease.

LPS group — Chronic systemic inflammation via bacterial endotoxin.
Res-PrP group — Exposure to a laboratory-produced, misfolded recombinant prion protein (structurally abnormal but noninfectious).
RML group — A standard strain of infectious prions.
Res-PrP + LPS — Combining noninfectious misfolded proteins with systemic inflammation.
RML + LPS — Combining infectious prions with systemic inflammation.

Prion-like vacuolation in hematoxylin and eosin stained brain sections of terminally sick mice. Cerebral Cortex (Cc), Thalamus (Th), Midbrain (Mb), and Cerebellum (Cr)

(International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.3390/ijms26136245)

The study’s results indicate that structural brain damage resembling prion disease is not exclusive to infectious transmission.

Spongiform lesions — All treatment groups, including those exposed only to LPS or noninfectious Res-PrP, developed the tiny vacuoles that give brain tissue the sponge-like appearance typical of BSE.
Astrogliosis — Animals exposed to the misfolded Res-PrP showed significant activation of supportive glial cells. This indicates that even in the absence of an infectious strain, “toxic” protein conformations are sufficient to trigger neuroinflammation and neuronal damage.
Amyloid-beta deposition — In the chronic LPS-only group, researchers observed amyloid-beta plaques — a form of aggregation more common in other neurodegenerative disorders — suggesting that inflammatory stress alone can disrupt protein folding pathways.

Survival and Synergistic Toxicity

The survival data reinforces the idea that inflammation acts as a potent catalyst for these toxic pathways.

Treatment Group	Mortality & Progression
LPS (inflammation only)	10% mortality by 350 days; about 40% by 650 days
Res-PrP (noninfectious prion)	20% mortality by 200 days; about 60% by 750 days
Res-PrP + LPS	30% mortality by 150 days; about 50% by 750 days
RML (infectious prion)	80% mortality by 200 days
RML + LPS	30% mortality by 100 days; 100% by 200 days

What Veterinarians Should Know

While these findings do not overturn the established cause of BSE outbreaks — contaminated feed remains the primary target for regulatory control — they do introduce three critical considerations for the future of veterinary neurology:

Noninfectious toxicity — Misfolded prion proteins may be directly neurotoxic to the host even if they lack the ability to spread as an infectious “strain.”
Inflammatory priming — Systemic inflammatory stress can initiate or amplify protein-misfolding pathways, potentially lowering the threshold for neurodegeneration.
Etiology of atypical cases — These biological routes may help explain sporadic or “atypical” neurodegenerative cases that do not fit the standard infectious exposure model.

The discovery of prions once forced scientists to rethink the nature of infection. This research suggests we are still uncovering the diverse biological routes that lead to the same devastating neurological damage.

For the veterinary community, it highlights how systemic inflammation and protein misfolding pathways can interact to initiate or amplify prion-like pathology, even in the absence of an external infectious agent.

New Formulations Aim to Improve How Dewormers Work in Cattle

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:38:34 GMT

Before an oral dewormer can kill parasites, it has to dissolve. But new research suggests that step may not always happen as efficiently as expected. In laboratory testing, a commercial oxfendazole tablet released only about 10% of its drug content, prompting researchers to explore new formulations designed to improve dissolution and extend drug exposure in cattle.

Bezerra and colleagues at the Dundalk Institute of Technology in Ireland explored whether reformulating the common benzimidazole dewormer oxfendazole could improve both dissolution and the duration of drug exposure in cattle. The findings highlight an important point: how a drug is formulated can influence how well it works.

The Hidden Step in Deworming: Why Dissolution Matters in Cattle

When an oral anthelmintic is given to cattle, the drug must first dissolve in gastrointestinal fluids before it can be absorbed or interact with parasites in the digestive tract. For drugs like oxfendazole, that step can be difficult. Benzimidazole anthelmintics are poorly soluble in water, which can limit how quickly and completely they dissolve.

In dissolution testing designed to simulate acidic abomasal conditions, researchers found a commercial oxfendazole tablet released only about 10% of its drug content.

Laboratory dissolution tests do not perfectly replicate conditions in cattle. But the pharmacologic principle still applies: if a drug does not dissolve, it cannot be absorbed effectively. For parasites that require sustained exposure to a drug, incomplete dissolution may limit treatment effectiveness.

Why Drug Delivery Is Challenging for Oral Dewormers in Cattle

Delivering drugs to ruminants is more complicated than in monogastric animals. After administration, an oral drug passes through several very different digestive environments. The rumen and reticulum operate near neutral pH, while the abomasum is strongly acidic. The drug then moves into the intestines, where pH gradually rises again.

Several factors can influence how much drug ultimately becomes available to affect parasites:

Rumen dilution, which can disperse oral drugs before they dissolve
Shifting pH environments throughout the digestive tract
Gastrointestinal transit time, which determines how long drugs remain available for absorption
Enterohepatic recycling, where drug excreted in bile re-enters the digestive tract

Many gastrointestinal parasites are exposed to anthelmintics through both systemic drug levels and the drug moving through the digestive tract itself. Because of this, the timing and extent of drug release can influence parasite exposure.

Rebuilding the Tablet: New Formulations for Oxfendazole

To address the dissolution problem, researchers developed experimental oxfendazole tablets using two advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing techniques: hot-melt extrusion and microinjection molding.

These techniques embed the drug within polymer matrices, converting it from a crystalline form to an amorphous structure. Amorphous drugs typically dissolve more readily, improving bioavailability.

In laboratory testing, one experimental formulation released nearly 90% of the drug during dissolution testing, an eightfold improvement compared with the commercial tablet.

The formulation used polyethylene oxide as the primary polymer carrier. When exposed to fluid, the polymer swells, allowing water to penetrate the tablet and gradually release the drug.

The result was substantially more active drug becoming available in the simulated gastrointestinal environment.

Extending Drug Exposure in Cattle

Researchers also explored whether tablet design could extend how long the drug is released in the digestive tract. A second formulation incorporated polycaprolactone along with polyethylene oxide, producing a slower-eroding polymer matrix. As fluid enters the tablet, pores gradually form within the polymer structure, allowing the drug to diffuse outward over time.

In dissolution testing, this formulation released drug gradually over about three days, roughly matching the typical 72-hour gastrointestinal transit time in cattle.

For parasite control, a slow-release system could potentially maintain drug exposure longer and improve efficacy against parasites that require sustained exposure.

Safety Considerations

Because cattle are food-producing animals, both the active drug and formulation components must be safe.

The study evaluated the polymer formulations using liver cell cultures. At concentrations consistent with expected exposure, the materials used in the tablets did not demonstrate cytotoxic effects.

Polymers such as polyethylene oxide are widely used in pharmaceutical formulations because they are biologically inert, stable during processing and compatible with controlled-release drug systems.

What It Could Mean for Parasite Control in Cattle

While the results are promising, the research remains at an early stage. Field trials would be needed to determine whether improved dissolution and controlled-release properties translate into better parasite control in cattle.

Still, the findings highlight an often-overlooked factor in deworming success. The effectiveness of an anthelmintic depends not only on the drug itself, but also on how it is delivered in the animal.

The Role of Timing in BRD Retreatment Decisions

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 23:29:01 GMT

Retreatment decisions for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) are often made when animals fail to rebound as quickly as expected. A calf still looks depressed, a temperature remains elevated, or animal handlers question whether the initial therapy worked. In those moments, retreatment can feel like the safest option, but evidence suggests when cattle are eligible for retreatment can be just as important as what antimicrobials are used.

Post-treatment interval (PTI) refers to the amount of time that should pass after antimicrobial administration before an animal is eligible for another treatment. It’s not about delaying care arbitrarily, but about allowing drugs time to do what they are designed to do before concluding that further intervention is required.

“We have very high-quality medications and sometimes we need to let those drugs have enough time to work,” explains Dr. D.L. Step, senior professional services veterinarian at Boehringer Ingelheim. “By allowing that period of time, we don’t have to stress the animals by getting them up into a chute to be further evaluated for more treatment.”

PTI is a Clinical Decision

PTI is a question of timing. Once an animal meets a BRD case definition and receives antimicrobial therapy, clinicians must decide how long to wait before reassessing and potentially retreating. That decision is often influenced by clinical appearance and management pressure rather than pharmacologic behavior.

This raises the question: If retreatment happens too soon, are cattle actually failing therapy, or are they still in the expected window of recovery?

To examine that question, a 2020 field study evaluated PTIs following treatment with gamithromycin in cattle with naturally occurring BRD. Animals were assigned to retreatment eligibility at three, six, nine or 12 days.

The results revealed a clear pattern. Cattle eligible for retreatment at three days had higher retreatment rates. At the opposite extreme, cattle held to a 12-day PTI experienced poorer final outcomes, including higher case fatalities. The most favorable outcomes in this study occurred when retreatment eligibility fell between six and nine days.

These results suggest there is both a lower and an upper boundary for effective PTI, at least for gamithromycin.

These results are grounded in how gamithromycin behaves in the animal.

“Gamithromycin can stay in alveolar macrophages that fight infection down in the lung,” Step says. “We know the drug can stay there for up to 10 days.”

This persistence provides a biologic explanation for the observed outcomes. Retreatment at three days may occur before the drug has completed its therapeutic effect. Extending PTI too long, however, may delay intervention in animals that need further evaluation, which may explain the different outcomes at 12 days.

Handling stress may also be a contributing factor. Earlier retreatment requires pulling recovering cattle back through the chute, which may further compromise recovery.

When PTI did not change outcomes

Not all antimicrobials behave the same way. A more recent multisite study from Kansas State University evaluated PTIs following pradofloxacin treatment for BRD in stocker cattle. In that work, cattle were assigned to retreatment eligibility at three, six or nine days and followed for 45 days.

Within this range, no statistically significant differences were detected in the first treatment success, case fatality or days to death among PTI groups. Unlike the gamithromycin study, PTIs beyond nine days were not evaluated, so the effect of extended intervals could not be assessed.

The pradofloxacin findings reinforce an important point: PTI effects are drug-specific. These results do not mean that PTI timing is irrelevant, rather that no effect was detected under the conditions of this study.

PTI and Antimicrobial Stewardship

PTI is a stewardship issue grounded in outcomes, not restriction. In the gamithromycin study, shorter PTIs resulted in more antimicrobial use without improved performance. Allowing appropriate time between treatments reduced retreatment frequency and improved outcomes.

“If you wait a little bit longer, the outcomes are better and you don’t use as many drugs,” Step says.

This approach aligns stewardship with clinical effectiveness rather than limiting access to therapy.

What this Means for BRD Protocols

The practical takeaway is not a single retreatment day, but rather the opportunity for a retreatment window that reflects drug characteristics, cattle type and management conditions.

“A veterinarian can prescribe and say, ‘Maybe we wait seven or eight or nine days,’” Step says.

PTI should be considered alongside antimicrobial selection and case definition rigor.

By evaluating each case in context and adjusting protocols based on observed outcomes, PTI deserves the same level of attention as any other component of BRD treatment decision-making.

A Closer Look at Delayed Cow-Calf Separation

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 15:50:51 GMT

Delayed cow-calf separation is a topic that usually gets people talking — whether they are focusing on animal welfare, public perception or personal experience. However, we rarely see the conversation anchored in controlled data. New, yet-to-be-published research from Dr. Adam Beard and his team at Cornell University is changing that, providing a clearer picture of how short-term contact and transition milk feeding affect a calf’s early life.

The study focused on the perinatal period: the final two months of pregnancy through the first two months after birth. This is a time of developmental plasticity, meaning management decisions can have a long-term impact on growth and future performance.

“We were interested in the physiologic impacts of transition milk feeding, as well as the societal components of cow-calf contact — if it’s something that’s feasible, could be implemented and what challenges might there be,” Beard explains.

While we know how much prenatal care matters, the big question remains: Does staying with the mother after birth continue to have a meaningful biological effect?

To find out, researchers set up a controlled study where delayed separation was defined as unrestricted contact for the first five days of life. Calves in this group stayed with their dams, had full social contact and nursed freely.

They were compared to two other groups that were separated immediately: one fed the dam’s transition milk and another fed bulk tank whole milk. To ensure the results weren’t skewed by a poor start, every calf in the study met strict criteria for high-quality colostrum intake and birth vigor.

Does Delayed Separation Affect Passive Transfer of Immunity?

A common worry is that delayed separation might interfere with a calf’s immune system. In this study, it didn’t. All calves received high-quality colostrum (>22% Brix) shortly after birth, and their antibody levels (serum IgG) were the same regardless of whether they stayed with the cow or were moved. This reinforces that the timing and quality of colostrum are the real drivers of immunity, not the housing method.

Impact of Nursing on Calf Growth and Health Risks

For those first five days, nursing calves did appear heavier. However, the researchers found this difference disappeared quickly after separation. The early weight gain was likely just gut fill — a result of nursing frequency — rather than actual tissue growth. By day seven, after all calves had transitioned to a standard feeding schedule, the weights converged and no lasting differences remained.

Health risks are often seen as a major barrier to keeping cows and calves together. However, this data showed no link between delayed separation and a higher frequency of fever or diarrhea.

“Some people might suspect that this would make calves more vulnerable to health challenges,” Beard says. “We just don’t see that here.”

While scours occurred across all groups, the patterns were consistent with what is typically seen in newborns, regardless of the feeding system.

The team followed replacement heifers through nine weeks of age. Across the board, there were no differences in:

Average daily gain
Final body weight
Hip and withers height
Solid feed intake before weaning

How Suckling Affects Cow Milk Yield and Udder Health

While the calves were nursing, there was a predictable drop in salable milk yield. However, production rebounded within 24 hours of separation, and there were no lasting penalties in early lactation.

Interestingly, preliminary findings suggested cows being suckled had higher cure rates for intramammary infections, though that analysis is ongoing. Notably, the study reported no calf injuries or human safety incidents during the contact period.

Is Short-Term Cow-Calf Contact Practical?

“We don’t have any results that are remarkably different between the transition milk, whole milk or transition milk with cow-calf contact, but the outcomes also weren’t any worse for having the calf in the environment with the cow,” Beard says.

This research doesn’t suggest that delayed cow-calf separation is a performance-enhancing tool. When calves already receive great colostrum and consistent management, the growth and health outcomes are largely neutral.

The real takeaway is short-term contact can be implemented without negative effects under controlled conditions. Proving this practice isn’t inherently risky will allow the industry to move past anecdotal fears and look deeper into the biology of transition milk and long-term development.

Could The ClipFitter Work For Calf Castration?

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:56:26 GMT

Castration remains a routine management practice in cattle systems, yet it continues to raise persistent animal welfare concerns. Bloodless methods are widely used because they are easy to apply, but none are pain-free. Rubber banding is effective, but associated with both acute and prolonged discomfort. Burdizzo castration can reduce long-term pain, but carries a higher risk of incomplete castration and subsequent complications. This trade-off has driven interest in new tools that might preserve reliability without increasing pain.

New work published in “ The Bovine Practitioner ” by Jacob Schumacher and colleagues at Kansas State University explored the ClipFitter , a castration method that combines the benefits of both rubber banding and the Burdizzo method, for calf castration.

The ClipFitter is a disposable plastic clamp that crushes the spermatic cords and associated nerves like a Burdizzo, but remains on the scrotum until it sloughs off, providing visual confirmation of successful castration. While the ClipFitter has been used previously in lambs, this pilot study represents its first evaluation of its use in calves.

ClipFitter vs. Banding: A Comparison

The study included 12 beef-dairy cross calves aged 8 to 10 weeks. These animals were assigned to one of three groups: ClipFitter castration, standard rubber band castration or sham handling. No local anesthetics or systemic analgesics were administered, reflecting common practices in the U.S.

The following physiological and behavioral indicators were used to assess animal welfare and pain before and after castration:

Plasma cortisol and substance P levels
Lying and standing activity measured via accelerometer
Ocular and scrotal temperature measured via infrared thermography, as indicators of acute stress responses and blood flow and castration effectiveness, respectively

Data were collected through seven days post-castration.

(ClipFitter)

Pain, Behavior and Effectiveness

Plasma cortisol concentrations increased shortly after castration across all groups, peaking at 30 minutes before declining toward baseline. However, cortisol levels did not differ significantly among the three treatment groups. Substance P concentrations showed no differences between treatments or over time.

These findings suggest neither blood biomarker was sensitive enough to distinguish pain responses between ClipFitter and rubber band castration. However, this may also have been due to the relatively small sample size used in this study along with the variability of these biomarkers.

Activity monitoring revealed subtle but measurable changes in lying and standing behavior following castration. Calves castrated with rubber bands spent less time standing before switching to a lying position compared to sham calves. ClipFitter calves spent less time lying before standing compared with sham calves. No lying or standing outcomes differed significantly between the two castration methods.

These results indicate both ClipFitter and band castration altered normal behavior patterns in ways consistent with discomfort. The differing patterns between treatments may reflect mechanical differences between devices rather than meaningful differences in pain severity. The authors noted the lateral application of the ClipFitter prototype may have contributed to positional discomfort while calves were lying: “Excess plastic on either side of the scrotum may rub on the calves’ legs or pull on their scrotums while lying.”

Infrared imaging of the scrotum provided the clearest evidence of castration effectiveness. By seven days postcastration, ClipFitter calves exhibited significantly lower scrotal temperatures than sham calves, consistent with reduced blood flow to the testicles. These temperatures were not different from those of banded calves.

Key Findings from the Pilot Study

While the ClipFitter successfully restricted blood flow to the testicles, the results did not demonstrate a welfare advantage over standard rubber band castration within the first seven days. Behavioral data suggest both methods cause measurable discomfort that physiological markers failed to differentiate.

As the authors conclude: “While the viability of the ClipFitter for castration of calves was demonstrated to be promising, we were unable to find differences in pain measures that could correlate to a negative state of welfare.”

The ClipFitter may prove to be a technically reliable alternative, but current data do not justify viewing it as a welfare-improving replacement for band castration. Larger studies with longer follow-up periods could determine whether the device can meaningfully shift castration welfare outcomes.

Silent Carriers and Sudden Outbreaks: LSU Research looks at Equine Herpesvirus Latency

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:53:46 GMT

Four herpesviruses can infect the respiratory tract of horses, including Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), EHV-4, EHV-2, and EHV-5. EHV-1 is the most pathogenic and can induce respiratory disorders, abortions and neurological disorders. With the recent EHV-1 outbreak in November 2025 linked to the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association World Finals and Elite Barrel Race event held in Waco, Texas, interest in the virus has piqued.

Dr. Come Thieulent, Dr. Udeni Balasuriya and their team at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine are investigating one of the most difficult challenges in EHV control: identifying where the viruses persist inside the horse during periods of latency. Viral latency allows a pathogenic virus to exist in a dormant state within a cell until activated, potentially by a stress event, leading to active infection and viral shedding.

Understanding where this virus remains dormant is critical. This silent persistence is a major driver of unexpected reactivation and transmission during stress, transfer or commingling events. Thus, identification of cells latently infected with EHVs is critical for better understanding the mechanisms of latency and viral reactivation. That being said, few studies have described the identification of latent infection using novel molecular techniques.

To study latency at low viral levels, the LSU team is using digital PCR (dPCR) as a detection assay. Compared with conventional PCR or real-time PCR, dPCR offers greater precision and absolute quantification of latent viruses. Samples are prepared similarly to those for real-time PCR, but are then separated into thousands of partitions, each ideally containing one or zero templates. It allows detection of viral DNA at very low levels, which is particularly important for latent infections.

One of the key components of the research is the examination of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (i.e. white blood cells) as a site of viral persistence. While neuronal tissues have historically been associated with herpesvirus latency, blood mononuclear cells have not yet been investigated as a reservoir for latent EHVs. They could represent a more accessible and practical sample type in live horses. Identifying latent virus in blood could eventually improve understanding of which horses may be at greater risk of reactivation and active shedding.

Latency patterns vary across EHV types. EHV-1 and EHV-4 are most commonly associated with latency in neural tissues, specifically in the trigeminal ganglion. However, EHV-1 has been shown to establish latency more broadly, with viral DNA detected in the lymphoid tissues. Other EHVs, such as EHV-2 and EHV-5, persist primarily in lymphoid cells. These differences in tissue tropism likely influence patterns of reactivation, shedding and detection.

The LSU research is ongoing and addresses a foundational gap in understanding the biology of EHVs. As recent multi-state outbreaks have demonstrated, the inability to identify silent carriers remains one of the greatest obstacles to controlling EHV transmission. By clarifying where latent viruses reside and refining tools to detect them, this work may ultimately support more informed surveillance, risk management and outbreak response strategies.

A Cow with a Tool: What Veronika Reveals about Cattle Cognition

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:47:25 GMT

In a remarkable new study published in “Current Biology”, researchers document the first quantitative evidence that a domestic cow can use tools flexibly and purposefully. This behavior has been long thought to be restricted to primates and certain bird species.

Veronika, a 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow living in rural Austria, was the subject of an experimental study that systematically tested whether she could use a simple implement for different goals. Rather than stumbling onto tool behavior by chance, Veronika grasped and manipulated a deck brush in distinct ways depending on the task at hand.

The research team, Antonio Osuna-Mascaro and Alice Auersperg of the University of Vienna, presented Veronika with a deck brush oriented in various positions.

“The goal of the study was to test whether Veronica’s tool use met the criteria for flexible tool use. In other words, whether her use of tools was goal oriented, repetitive and consistent with the tools functional properties,” Osuna-Mascaro says.

Across multiple trials she demonstrated:

Selective grasping of different parts of the brush
Deliberate orientation of the tool to solve specific problems (for example, using the bristles versus the handle depending on where she wanted to scratch)
Goal-oriented adjustments, such as releasing the tool and regrasping it to achieve better control

The pattern of behavior meets stringent definitions of tool use where an animal adapts the function of an external object to achieve a desired outcome and challenges long-held assumptions about cattle cognition.

“This might even qualify as the use of a multipurpose tool,” Osuna-Mascaro says, alluding to the fact Veronika used each end of the tool a different way.

A New Lens on Cattle Cognition

Until now, scientific literature on tool use has focused overwhelmingly on primates (e.g. chimpanzees cracking nuts ) and some bird species like crows and parrots . Veronika’s behavior pushed the boundaries of what researchers considered possible for large herbivores.

“Veronika is certainly special, but we don’t think she’s particularly different to other cows. Her conditions are,” Osuna-Mascaro explains.

Several conditions may have contributed to her skill:

Veronika was raised as a pet rather than as traditional livestock, giving her exposure to novel objects and environments.
She was free to interact with brushes and sticks over the years before any testing.
Her age and lived experience may have supported learning and exploration.

This context suggests environmental richness and individual experience may play significant roles in the development of complex behaviors, even in species not typically associated with high cognitive flexibility.

Reframing Livestock Intelligence

Veronica’s behavior challenges long-standing assumptions about cognitive limits in cattle:

Animal cognition research may need to revisit assumptions about which species are capable of flexible problem solving.
Livestock welfare and management discussions should integrate cognitive enrichment as a meaningful component of animal care.
Ecology and environment can shape animal intelligence; cognitive abilities are not fixed by species alone.

Inside a Simulated HPAI Outbreak in a Dairy Herd

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 19:28:32 GMT

In spring 2020, U.S. dairy producers were forced to dump millions of pounds of milk when the system around them failed. Schools closed, institutional buyers disappeared, processing plants couldn’t pivot and the disconnect between production and demand became painfully clear. That experience raised a critical question: Could similar system-wide disruptions happen again, driven not by markets but by disease?

That question helped drive a new proof-of-concept project from the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (WIFSS) at UC Davis: a simulation model designed to examine what happens when H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) enters a dairy herd.

“This was more a proof of concept,” says David Goldenberg, food safety and security training coordinator for WIFSS at UC Davis. “Can we develop a model that would mimic a dairy farm and the resulting impacts [HPAI] would have not only on the farm but also elsewhere and down the road?”

Rather than attempting to predict the next outbreak, their goal was to understand what an outbreak would look like on a single dairy and how its impacts unfold over time.

What the Model Simulated

The team based their simulation on a small dairy herd of roughly 260 cows with the following assumptions:

No animals were purchased from outside sources; replacements were born into the herd
Labor, equipment and milking infrastructure functioned normally
Cows were assumed healthy apart from H5N1 infection
Milk from infected cows was discarded

Further, reinfections were not modeled, and the analysis focused on acute infection rather than chronic disease.

Speed of Spread Mattered More than Severity

One of the clearest lessons from the simulation was how fast H5N1 spreads through a herd might matter more than how sick individual cows appear.

The model evaluated low, medium and high infectivity scenarios. In high-infectivity cases, nearly the entire herd became sick within about 30 days. That rapid clustering overwhelmed treatment capacity, increasing the risk of dehydration, delayed care and mortality. This wasn’t because the disease was more severe but because too many animals required attention at once.

“That’s a tremendous effort to simultaneously try to treat every cow in your herd at the same exact time due to limited resources,” says Nelson Alfaro Rivas, simulation consultant with MOSIMTEC. “Unfortunately, some of the cows might succumb just because of dehydration from the disease just because you don’t have an unlimited number of veterinarians to try and hydrate the cows as they’re sick.”

In lower-infectivity scenarios, illness spread more slowly, peaking later and involving fewer animals simultaneously. The contrast underscored why early isolation, movement control and disease recognition can fundamentally change outcomes.

Milk Loss Didn’t End When Cows Recovered

Even when cows clinically recovered, milk production did not bounce back quickly.

The simulation assumed infected cows experienced either a 15% or 30% reduction in milk yield for the remainder of their lactation, figures drawn from field observations. In high-infectivity, worst-case scenarios, total milk production across the herd fell sharply within the first month.

Over time, those losses accumulated. In the most severe scenarios, the herd produced approximately 25% less milk over the modeled period compared with an uninfected baseline. Perhaps more striking, herd-level production did not return to baseline for almost a year, long after the active outbreak had resolved.

“How long does it take to recover from something like this?” Rivas asks. “All the cows were recovered by day 26, but what you don’t really see is that the herd that got infected doesn’t really recover and produce the same amount of milk as the non-infected herd until almost 300 days later.”

This gap matters not only for producers but also reframes recovery as an extended process rather than a clinical endpoint.

Recovery Didn’t Mean Economic Recovery

Because dairies run on thin margins, sustained milk loss drove decisions beyond treatment and recovery. Cows producing well below expectation after infection were more likely to be removed from the herd, even if they survived the disease itself.

“At the end of the day, farms are businesses, and you can’t keep an underproducing and therefore unprofitable cow,” Rivas says.

The model reinforced a familiar reality: Profitability, not survival alone, determines herd composition after disease events.

Where Biosecurity Fits

Biosecurity practices were not explicitly modeled as individual actions. Instead, their effects were represented indirectly through changes in infectivity. Lower infectivity scenarios approximated the benefit of practices such as isolating sick cows, cleaning equipment and controlling farm access.

Those measures come with costs — labor, time and disruption — but the simulation showed even modest reductions in spread speed dramatically altered outcomes. The model did not attempt to assign dollar values to biosecurity steps, but it made clear why reducing infectivity yields outsized returns.

Why This Matters Now

What this model ultimately provides is a clearer sense of risk timing, not new disease facts. By compressing complex outbreak dynamics into a single on-farm view, it shows how quickly routine management assumptions can be tested once disease pressure rises, particularly when multiple animals require attention at the same time. The practical consequence is that delays in recognition or response can carry operational costs that aren’t immediately visible.

The take away is not alarm but foresight. Decisions around monitoring, separation and communication that are made early shape how manageable an outbreak remains and how disruptive its aftermath becomes. By visualizing those downstream effects in advance, the model offers a way to stress-test response strategies before they’re needed, helping dairies prepare for uncertainty rather than react to it.

Haptoglobin Tracks Disease and Recovery in Feedlot Bovine Respiratory Disease

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 17:30:13 GMT

Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) remains a persistent challenge in feedlot systems because early detection and objective assessment of recovery remain difficult. Visual appraisal and clinical scoring are valuable tools, yet they can be inconsistent across observers and environments.

A recent collaborative study between researchers at the USDA-ARS US Meat Animal Research Center and the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University explores whether inflammatory biomarkers track BRD in ways that could meaningfully support veterinary decision making.

To accomplish this, researchers followed the inflammatory response of BRD cattle over time. Blood samples were collected from feedlot cattle on the day of purchase, the time of diagnosis, and five days after treatment. Several clear patterns emerged that are relevant to clinical practice.

What the Data Showed: Key Inflammatory Patterns in BRD

Haptoglobin tracked both disease onset and recovery

Haptoglobin, a glycoprotein that plays a critical role in tissue protection and prevention of oxidative damage, showed the most consistent and biologically meaningful response to BRD. Concentrations rose significantly from arrival to the time of clinical diagnosis, then declined within five days following treatment.

Haptoglobin levels increased markedly at BRD diagnosis compared with baseline
Levels declined after treatment, indicating resolution of inflammation
The rise and fall pattern closely mirrored disease presence and early recovery

This response supports haptoglobin’s role as a true acute-phase protein in BRD, rather than a nonspecific indicator of arrival stress alone. Importantly, the post-treatment decline suggests haptoglobin reflects treatment response, not just disease detection.

IL-6 Mirrored Acute-Phase Activation

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) followed a similar temporal pattern, increasing at diagnosis and decreasing after treatment.

IL-6 concentrations rose significantly with active BRD
Levels declined post-treatment as inflammation resolved
The response aligned with IL-6’s known role in driving acute-phase protein production

While IL-6 is not likely to be a practical field biomarker due to its short, variable half-life and higher sensitivity to non-disease stressors, its behavior reinforces the biological relevance of haptoglobin as a downstream indicator of inflammatory activity.

Other Cytokines Showed Limited or Inconsistent Shifts

Not all inflammatory markers changed meaningfully across disease stages.

TNF-∝ differed between baseline and disease time points but showed less consistent normalization after treatment
IL-1β and IFN-γ did not change significantly through BRD
These cytokines could reflect background immune signaling rather than actionable disease markers

Correlations were observed among some of these cytokines, particularly IL-1β and TNF-∝, reflecting interconnected inflammatory pathways. However, these were not necessarily helpful for monitoring the course of BRD.

Haptoglobin remained the clearest marker tied to both disease and recovery.

What This Means for BRD Diagnosis

The pattern of haptoglobin observed in BRD cattle in this study indicates systemic inflammation is measurably active through the disease course and that haptoglobin tracks early resolution of that response during therapy.

While field-ready diagnostic tools continue to advance, understanding which biomarkers reflect BRD becomes increasingly important. This work helps narrow that field and provides biological justification for further exploration of acute-phase proteins, particularly haptoglobin, as decision support tools.

In BRD management, these inflammatory signals could help veterinarians assess disease and recovery before performance data catches up.

Pig Painkiller Patch Shows Promise

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:39:22 GMT

It’s been just over a year since the FDA issued a “Dear Veterinarian” letter that caught a lot of attention among livestock producers. The letter reminded veterinarians that aspirin and sodium salicylate are not approved for use in dairy cattle or any livestock.

“From an animal welfare standpoint, we know pigs go through pain. They have fevers and inflammation when they are sick. We can make them feel better with NSAIDs like we do in humans,” Brian Payne, senior director of commercial technical services R&D and innovation at Veterinary Pharmaceutical Solutions, said in a previous article . “When you’re feeling sick, you want to feel better. Pigs under our care should have that opportunity as well. When they have pain, inflammation or a fever, we can reduce that down so they start feeling better. A secondary benefit is that they produce better.”

To provide pain management and reduce repeated drug administration, Jeremy Powell, veterinarian and professor of animal science for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture , joined a team of researchers to test an experimental pain-relieving drug delivery method for farm animals using microneedle patches.

Although the patches may not have delivered an effective dose, Powell says it took a pivotal step that offers new leads for innovation, according to a University of Arkansas release .

Two Birds With One Stone – Improving Pain and Welfare

The team wanted to find a way to provide analgesic therapy to help control pain in livestock species while improving animal welfare. The project, which began several years ago in cattle with meloxicam, has been supported by a USDA grant.

According to the release, initial studies led to unsatisfactory pain management for cattle. Because of this, the multi-state team of researchers received approval to switch the experiment to pigs using flunixin and dextran, other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that are more soluble than meloxicam.

The goal of the study was to alleviate some pain after castration and tail docking. Researchers set out to see if the patch could provide five to seven days of pain relief without daily injections or handling of the animal.

How Does the Microneedle Patch Work?

Researchers made the patches with polyvinyl alcohol, collagen and chitosan using a square mold. The patches are about 1"x1" and have 625 pyramid-shaped microneedles that are 800 microns tall — about the thickness of a stack of eight sheets of standard copy paper. The medicines were incorporated at a dose of 50 milligrams per patch, the study says.

Application sites and morphological analysis of microneedle patches in a study by researchers within the Department of Animal Science for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the University of Arkansas College of Engineering, and Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Macroscopic (center) and SEM (right) images of PVA–COL–CHI patches loaded with FLU or FITC-dextran highlight the consistent microneedle geometry.

(Reproduced from RSC Pharmaceutics with permission from the Royal Society of Chemistry)

Medicine slowly flows through the microneedles from the pain patches for slow-release drug delivery, the release explains. The patch is designed to eventually fall off and continue degrading into inert natural products that do not generate contaminants, says Jorge Almodovar, the study’s corresponding author and an associate professor in the department of chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in the release.

“Designed to only penetrate the upper level of skin where there are few pain receptors, microneedles are known for being painless to mildly prickly, like pressing fine sandpaper when applied with light pressure, or a cat’s tongue brush,” the article says.

Although the drugs administered through the experimental patches did show up in the pigs’ system, the drug concentrations only reached about 2 micrograms per liter. Powell says they would need 3 milligrams per liter for the medicine to be effective, which is 1,500 times greater than what was achieved.

What’s Next for the Patch?

The project remains a proof of concept despite the limited performance, demonstrating that pig skin can absorb medication delivered through a dissolvable microneedle patch, the article says.

In the most recent published study, patches were applied to the ear and neck to assess anatomical site choice on systemic absorption. The team found patches work better on the neck than the ear, which Powell said may guide future testing.

The dextran-based patches on the neck achieved higher plasma concentrations than oral administration and ear-applied patches, “demonstrating enhanced uptake from vascularized regions,” the study explains. Meanwhile, the flunixin-based patches applied to the ear produced detectable plasma levels up to 72 hours after application, with a maximum concentration of about 1.9 micrograms per liter at 24 to 48 hours, “indicating sustained systemic exposure and reinforcing the potential for long-acting therapy.”

One of the other benefits of the patches was that no adverse responses were observed at application sites, the article says.

The findings emphasize the importance of choosing the right spot on the animal and using medications that the delivery method can handle are key to making microneedle drug delivery work better, the researchers note as they head back to the drawing board to improve the patch.

Editor’s Note: The study, “Systemic drug delivery in pigs using biodegradable microneedle patches,” was published in the journal RSC Pharmaceutics. The lead author, Katherine Miranda Muñoz, Ph.D., is a former graduate student at the University of Arkansas College of Engineering. Muñoz is now a postdoctoral associate at the University of Miami. Co-authors of the paper included Powell, Tsungcheng Tsai and Jacy L. Riddle in the department of animal science with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and Almodovar, Ke He and Lee Blaney at UMBC. Almodovar was previously an associate professor and Ray C. Adam Chair in Chemical Engineering at the University of Arkansas.

Waste Milk Feeding Alters Calf Immune Development

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:05:31 GMT

For many dairies, feeding waste milk — milk that can’t be sold because of antibiotic residues, high somatic cell counts or other quality issues — is an appealing way to save on calf-rearing costs. It’s calorie-rich, familiar to calves and readily available. However, waste milk is one of the least standardized inputs in calf nutrition as it varies in microbial load, drug residues and inflammatory components. While the short-term economics are easy to calculate, the potential biological impact is less clear.

Most evaluations of waste milk stop at visible outcomes like growth rates or scours. What’s harder to see is how early antigen exposure shapes immune development below the surface. New research from the University of São Paulo shows the immune system of a growing Holstein calf responds differently depending on whether it’s fed salable milk (SM), pasteurized waste milk (PWM) or raw waste milk (WM).

In the study, 30 calves were raised on one of these three liquid diets for the first nine weeks of life and regularly sampled for immune markers and cellular responses. Although overall health scores (temperature, diarrhea prevalence, respiratory signs) didn’t differ among groups, the internal immune story was much more revealing.

Immune Cell Counts and Cytokines Shift With Waste Milk Feeding

Calves fed PWM and WM showed consistent differences in systemic immune markers:

Serum total protein and Brix values were higher in WM calves.
Total protein and Brix are composite biomarkers influenced by both innate inflammatory response and adaptive humoral immunity. This observed increase likely represents innate immune responses associated with increased microbial and antigen exposure.

Plasma IgG concentrations did not differ by diet.
Levels followed the expected passive transfer pattern in all groups, with a decline at 21 days as maternal antibodies waned.

PWM and WM calves exhibited increased circulating immune cell numbers.
Lymphocyte and total mononuclear cell counts were higher compared to SM calves, but these did not translate into greater immune function. Immune cell proliferation in response to bacterial challenge was not impacted by liquid diet.

Cytokine profiles differed by diet.
SM and PWM calves produced more IL-10, a regulatory cytokine, while WM calves showed higher IL-17, consistent with a more pro-inflammatory profile.

What These Findings Mean for Calf Health Decisions

Together, these findings suggest waste milk feeding alters immune development in subtle but meaningful ways, even when calves appear outwardly healthy.

Several implications stand out:

Waste milk is not immunologically neutral.
It exposes calves to greater antigenic stimulation, increasing immune cell numbers and inflammatory signaling without improving functional responsiveness.

Higher TP and Brix values should be interpreted cautiously.
In WM calves, these markers likely reflect inflammatory proteins rather than improved humoral immunity.

Pasteurization reduces, but does not eliminate, immune effects.
PWM calves consistently showed intermediate immune profiles between SM and WM, supporting pasteurization as a risk-mitigation step rather than a complete solution.

Early immune skewing might matter most under stress.
An immune system biased toward activation rather than regulation could respond differently during weaning, transport, pathogen exposure or vaccination.

Diet quality is part of immune programming.
Liquid diet decisions influence not just growth and scours but how the calf immune system is shaped during a critical developmental window.

While this study did not directly assess long-term health or vaccine outcomes, it reinforces an important message for calf programs: What calves drink early in life can influence how their immune systems are wired.

Veterinarians and Producers See BRD Risk Through Different Lenses

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 13:49:05 GMT

The hardest cattle health decisions often live in the gray zone. Nowhere is that truer than with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in cattle that aren’t clearly high risk, but don’t look entirely safe either. A new survey suggests that when cattle fall into this medium-risk category, veterinarians and feedlot managers might be working from different mental playbooks.

The study, published in Translational Animal Science, examined how veterinarians and feedlot managers assess BRD risk and decide whether to use metaphylaxis when risk is uncertain. They surveyed 25 veterinarians consulting for a combined more than 600 feedlots and 30 feedlot managers. While both groups rely heavily on experience, the results show meaningful differences in how risk is perceived, what outcomes are expected and which factors ultimately tip the decision toward treatment.

Veterinarians and Producers Hold Different Expectations for BRD Outcomes

BRD remains one of the most costly and consequential diseases in feedlot cattle, driving losses through mortality, morbidity, treatment costs and long-term performance impacts. Metaphylaxis is widely accepted for cattle at high risk, but less straightforward when cattle fall somewhere in the middle.

In the survey, respondents were asked to consider hypothetical groups of medium-risk cattle and estimate expected morbidity and mortality if metaphylaxis were not used. Veterinarians consistently anticipated worse outcomes than feedlot managers. On average, vets expected higher percentages of sick cattle and greater death loss, while managers’ expectations were lower and more variable.

That difference matters. Expected disease burden strongly influences whether metaphylaxis is justified. If one party anticipates substantial losses and another expects manageable disease, alignment becomes difficult from the beginning.

Key Factors Used to Decide on Metaphylaxis

While both veterinarians and producers described metaphylaxis decisions as multifactorial, the survey revealed clear differences in which risk signals each group emphasizes most when cattle fall into the medium-risk category.

Veterinarians tended to emphasize factors tied to biological vulnerability and population-level disease risk, including:

Health history of the cattle, particularly prior illness, vaccination status and consistency of backgrounding
Degree of commingling, with mixed-source cattle viewed as substantially higher risk
Body weight and age, with lighter, younger cattle seen as less resilient
Transportation stress, including haul distance and time in transit
Weather conditions, especially temperature swings and adverse conditions at arrival
Expected morbidity and mortality, with vets more likely to anticipate higher disease impact if metaphylaxis was withheld

Veterinarians also placed strong weight on how these factors interact, rather than viewing any single signal in isolation. In the gray zone, multiple moderate risks stacking together often justified treatment.

Feedlot managers and producers, by contrast, placed greater emphasis on operational context and sourcing signals, including:

Cattle source and origin, particularly whether cattle came from known suppliers
Market channel, such as sale barn versus direct-from-ranch purchases
Historical performance of similar cattle, drawing heavily on prior closeouts
Visible condition at arrival, including fill, alertness and signs of stress
Variability within the load, with uneven cattle raising more concern than uniformly moderate-risk groups
Cost–benefit considerations, especially when expected disease levels were perceived as manageable

Producers were generally less likely than veterinarians to rate environmental conditions or body weight as primary decision drivers on their own, instead weighing how cattle had performed under similar circumstances in the past.

Where they aligned:

Before cattle arrived, both groups consistently identified market channel and cattle origin as the most influential pre-arrival indicators of risk. After arrival, overall cattle condition became the dominant real-time signal for both veterinarians and producers — often serving as the final checkpoint before deciding whether metaphylaxis was warranted.

Experience Continues to Guide Metaphylaxis Decisions

One of the study’s most striking findings is how heavily metaphylaxis decisions still depend on professional judgment rather than formalized thresholds. Respondents frequently described relying on gut feel, period outcomes with similar cattle and local norms.

That reliance on experience isn’t necessarily a flaw — BRD risk is complex and context-dependent — but it does introduce variability. Two operations receiving similar cattle under similar conditions might make different metaphylaxis decisions, with both believing they are acting responsibly.

From an antimicrobial stewardship standpoint, that variability is significant. Medium-risk cattle represent the largest opportunity and challenge for reducing unnecessary antibiotic use without increasing disease loss.

Opportunities to Better Align Veterinarians and Producers on BRD Risk

Rather than framing these differences as conflict, the authors point to an opportunity for better alignment. Veterinarians and managers bring complementary perspectives: Veterinarians tend to focus on population-level disease prevention, while managers weigh operation history, cost and day-to-day realities.

Clearer conversations around expected morbidity, acceptable loss thresholds and what success looks like for a given group of cattle could narrow the gap. So could shared post-placement reviews that compare expectations with actual outcomes, helping refine future decisions.

As scrutiny for antibiotic use in food animals continues to intensify, metaphylaxis decisions will only draw more attention. This study highlights that improving consistency doesn’t necessarily require new drugs or diagnostics, but better alignment between the people making the call.

When risk is uncertain, clarity between veterinarian and producer might be one of the most powerful tools available.

The Impact of Parasitic Worms on Bovine Vaccine Efficacy

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 15:29:26 GMT

Vaccines are relied on to protect cattle from economically important diseases, yet field experience often reveals that even well-vaccinated herds can underperform. A new review in Veterinary Sciences by Freire and Capozzo highlights an underappreciated factor that could help explain these inconsistencies: How common parasitic worms subtly reshape the bovine immune system and diminish vaccine efficacy.

While vaccination remains a cornerstone of disease control in livestock, experimental trials often involve young, healthy animals housed in controlled conditions. In contrast, commercial cattle populations face constant exposure to pathogens, environmental stressors and chronic parasitic infections that are rarely accounted for in vaccine evaluation.

Among these, Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke) and Ostertagia ostertagi (a gastrointestinal nematode) are pervasive in grazing herds worldwide. Both can establish persistent, subclinical infections that don’t always manifest obvious clinical signs but can profoundly influence immune function and responses to vaccination.

How Helminths Alter the Bovine Immune Response

Chronic helminth infections are characterized by a shift toward a regulatory Th2-biased immune environment and suppression of protective Th1-driven responses.

Cytokine Shifts: Chronic parasitism increases regulatory cytokines like IL-10 and TGF-β, which dampen inflammation but can also suppress the cellular response needed for effective vaccine priming.
Suppression of antigen presentation: Helminth products reduce the ability of antigen-presenting cells to activate T cells, blunting the cascade that leads to memory formation.
Memory and antibody quality: By promoting regulatory networks, infection can limit development of high-avidity antibodies and long-lived memory cells, critical for lasting vaccine protection.

Parasite Profile: Fasciola hepatica (Liver Fluke)

Fasciola hepatica is widespread in grazing herds and impacts productivity through liver damage. It causes subclinical infections that silently influence immune function. The review highlights that F. hepatica infection upregulates regulatory cytokines like IL-10 and TNF-β, suppressing proinflammatory pathways needed for effective vaccine-induced immunity.

Research indicates liver fluke infection can reduce antibody titers and impair responses to vaccines against bovine respiratory syncytial virus and bovine viral diarrhea virus. Additionally, F. hepatica secretes products that downregulate dendritic cell maturation and interferon signaling, weakening the host’s ability to generate robust immune responses. These effects are often invisible in standard fecal or clinical assessments, making fluke presence an underestimated factor in vaccine efficacy.

Parasite Profile: Ostertagia ostertagi (Brown Stomach Worm)

Ostertagia ostertagi is one of the most significant parasites affecting cattle, especially in temperate regions. It develops in the abomasal gland and disrupts normal digestive processes.

Studies summarized in the review show that O. ostertagi excretory/secretory products alter macrophage activation, downregulate co-stimulatory molecules and diminish proinflammatory cytokines like IL-1 and IL-6, while boosting IL-10. This environment limits T-cell proliferation, decreased IFN-γ and TNF-∝, and can reduce antibody quality. Consequently, even cattle with complete vaccination histories can have suboptimal protective immunity, particularly against vaccines that depend on cellular or Th1 responses.

Practical Field Implications: Why Vaccines ‘Fail’

This review highlights several practical considerations

Vaccine ‘failure’ might reflect immune modulation, not product inefficacy
Standard fecal egg counts might not reflect immunologically significant parasite activity
Deworming prior to vaccination could help in high-burden settings, but evidence is not uniform
Herd-to-herd variability in vaccine outcomes is expected
Integrated herd health planning — coordinating parasite control, vaccination timing and nutrition — optimizes outcomes

Optimizing Vaccine ROI Through Integrated Management

Helminth-associated immune modulation does not diminish the importance of vaccines. Instead, it emphasizes the need for a more nuanced understanding of vaccine performance in real-world conditions, where co-infections and immune context shape outcomes.

Vaccines do not act in isolation. Integrating parasite management into herd health planning, especially in regions endemic for F. hepatica and O. ostertagi, can help maximize immune responsiveness and ensure cattle receive the full protective benefit of vaccination programs.

Why is H5N1 Showing Up in Cattle?

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:02:00 GMT

As H5N1 continues to be detected in U.S. dairy cattle, new research shows some modern bird flu viruses are genetically better equipped to infect bovine cells than earlier strains, helping explain why cattle are now part of the outbreak.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is no longer just an avian problem. Recent detections of H5N1 in dairy cattle, including the latest confirmed case in a Wisconsin herd , have elevated concern among veterinarians, producers and animal health authorities. According to USDA, HPAI has been detected in dairy herds in at least 18 states since March 2024, with milk testing serving as a routine detection pathway.

A newly published Nature Communications study led by scientists at the MRC–University of Glasgow Center for Virus Research provides critical insight into why certain H5N1 viruses are now capable of infecting cattle and highlights that some recent H5N1 variants are better at infecting cow cells and mammary tissues than older viruses. This suggests recent spillover events are not random accidents but might reflect viral genetic traits that support infection in cattle.

“Our work shows that different bird flu viruses have very different abilities to infect cow cells and tissues,” says Professor Massimo Palmarini, from both the Erasmus Medical Center and the MRC–University of Glasgow Center for Virus Research. “While the strain currently spreading in U.S. cattle is clearly the best adapted so far, there are other bird viruses that could potentially infect cows if given the chance.”

Key Findings Veterinarians Should Know

H5N1’s ability to infect cattle varies by viral lineage and the outbreak clade stands out

Researchers evaluated a wide range of historical and contemporary H5N1 viruses in bovine cell systems. The results were clear: Replication efficiency in bovine cells differed substantially between strains. Earlier H5N1 viruses often showed limited replication, while variants of the current outbreak from clade 2.3.4.4b, including genotypes B3.13 and D1.1, performed significantly better.

Why it matters: This variability helps explain why cattle infections are being detected now, after decades of HPAI circulation in birds. This also aligns closely with what field veterinarians are seeing: dairy cows developing clinical signs, such as reduced milk production and abnormal milk, often in the absence of severe respiratory disease.

The phenotypes of the reassortant viruses described in the study using either bovine or human cells and restriction factors as indicated.

(Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67234-1)

Internal genes, not just surface proteins, drive adaptation

The study highlights that synergistic interactions among internal gene segments, including viral polymerase complex and non-structural genes, play a critical role in determining how well H5N1 replicated in bovine cells. This shifts the focus away from viral surface protein hemagglutinin alone.

Why it matters: Viral evolution that improves replication in cattle could occur without obvious changes to classical avian influenza red flags, complicating surveillance and risk assessment.

Adaptation does not mean inevitability, but it raises the stakes

The authors stop short of suggesting H5N1 is becoming a cattle-adapted virus. However, they do demonstrate a biological pathway for improved compatibility with bovine hosts.

Why it matters: If H5N1 continues circulating in cattle, even transiently, it carries opportunities for viral maintenance, farm-level spread, and additional spillover events.

Connecting Lab Findings to Field Observations

These results provide a critical biological framework for the unusual epidemiology seen in recent cattle detections. The finding that modern H5N1 variants replicate efficiently in bovine mammary cells explains why dairy herds, and not beef, have been the focus of this outbreak and why milk has emerged as a vital surveillance sample.

This shift in viral tropism is directly reflected in the field: Infections are typically identified not by respiratory distress but by sudden drops in milk yield and abnormal milk consistency. While commercial pasteurization ensures the general milk supply remains safe, the high viral loads in raw milk highlight a pressing need for enhanced biosecurity within the milking environment. Ultimately, when production anomalies coincide with local avian influenza activity, H5N1 testing should be considered an essential component of the diagnostic workup.

Can We Shape Calves Before Birth?

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 15:35:48 GMT

What if the most powerful determinant of a calf’s lifetime performance isn’t the genetics you select or the ration you feed, but the environment that calf experienced as a one-cell embryo? As research accelerates, developmental programming is becoming one of the most promising frontiers in cattle reproduction.

For two decades, the beef and dairy industries have focused relentlessly on improving fertility — and it worked. Conception rates rose, days open stabilized and the long slide in reproductive performance reversed. With conventional reproductive efficiency nearing a functional ceiling, scientists are shifting attention upstream, where the environment itself may program the future trajectory of the calf.

It’s well known that a resulting phenotype represents the consequence of genotype and environmental interactions. The performance of an animal depends on the genes they inherited, how much feed they get, whether they get sick, whether it’s hot or cold, and a plethora of other environmental factors.

“We’ve made tremendous progress in optimizing the environment that those animals are raised in by providing the best nutrition, the best housing, the optimal photo period and treating disease with pharmaceuticals to optimize phenotype,” says Peter Hansen of the University of Florida. “But we usually do that after the animals are born. We don’t really think too much about what is happening to those animals when they’re embryos or when they’re fetuses or even when the germ cells are being produced.”

Evidence of Developmental Programming

Recent work has shown us the environment of the mother and the early embryo can affect the postnatal phenotype of that embryo. The environment of the fetus can affect what kind of calf it becomes.

When embryos are produced in vitro, they are put in an artificial medium. Under normal protocols, this culture medium is choline-free. Choline is a methyl donor that may factor into the one-carbon metabolism of bovine embryos. In the uterus, choline is present at millimolar concentrations.

Work led by Eliam Estrada-Cortes in Dr. Hansen’s lab investigated the effect of culturing bovine embryos with or without choline. They found choline cultured embryos resulted in calves that were heavier at weaning with altered muscle DNA methylation.

“We’ve done this experiment three times, and each time the choline calves weigh more than the calves without choline. And that goes all the way through to slaughter,” Hansen says. A nutrient present (or absent) in the culture dish during critical development time can make a big difference.

The condition of the fertilizing bull can also affect embryonic development and quality. Arslan Tariq from the University of Florida investigated the effect of bull overnutrition on fertility, finding heavier bulls produced semen that delayed embryonic development and decreased embryo quality, without changes to sperm motility or fertilization rate.

Historically, seminal plasma is removed from sperm for artificial insemination as it contains elements that can be detrimental during storage. That being said, seminal plasma modulates the maternal environment in a significant way, impacting the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. As a part of her PhD thesis, Gabriela Macay at the University of Florida evaluated the reproductive, health and production performance of female offspring conceived in the presence of seminal plasma. These animals had increased birth weights, increased milk yield and had greater persistence in the herd compared to controls.

“What we now know is the environment of the mother that the early embryo is in can affect the postnatal phenotype of that embryo. The environment of the fetus can affect what kind of calf it becomes,” Hansen says. “And the environment of the bull.”

How Does This Affect Reproductive Management?

Developmental programming shifts reproductive management from a focus on achieving conception to a broader view of how early-life conditions shape an animal’s long-term health, productivity and resilience. This expands the veterinary role from problem solver to long term system designer who helps producers make choices that shape herd-level outcomes years down the line.

The next revolution in cattle reproduction may come from understanding the earliest biological environment that determines how a calf learns to grow, metabolize and perform.

Rethink the First Feeding: Calf Health Begins with Smarter Colostrum Strategies

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 15:16:06 GMT

For decades, dairy producers have fed newborn calves based on standard protocols for first-milking colostrum, but as Dr. Donald Sockett and Dr. Ryan Breuer from the University of Wisconsin noted on a recent Raising Your Best Dairy Heifer webinar, the underlying assumptions might be due for revision.

“The current colostrum feeding guidelines that are considered best practices today were developed a little more than two decades ago,” Breuer says. “So we’ve had some time to observe what’s going on with it and whether we need to make some changes or not.”

Sockett explains that the conventional gold standard of 50 grams of immunoglobulin G (IgG) per liter, which the guidelines are based on, was reasonable back then, but times have changed.

“The average here is 75 g to 95 g per liter,” he says. “Why would we build a program around fair [quality] colostrum?”

Because calves are receiving colostrum of higher quality than what the older guidelines are built around, feeding volumes and methods might need adjustment.

In a recent case report , Sockett and Breuer described a Holstein heifer that received what is considered best practice for colostrum delivery based on 10% body weight: 4 liters of first-milking colostrum 30 minutes after birth and an additional 2 liters six hours after the first feeding. Shortly after the second feeding, the calf developed colic and was in apparent pain. This animal was humanely euthanized less than 24 hours later after a lack of response to on-farm medical care.

According to the attending veterinarian, this was not a one-off case.

“This wasn’t the only calf at this dairy,” Breuer says. “The veterinarian had also seen similar situations at other dairies where these calves, after the recommended colostrum feeding, had distress or colic.”

Upon necropsy, they noticed incidents of aspiration in the lungs. It was concluded aspiration pneumonia killed the calf after some colostrum was regurgitated due to a distended abomasum from colostrum volume.

This report emphasizes the need to reevaluate colostrum feeding standards.

In September, Frederick and colleagues from Cornell University published a study looking into the effects of feeding colostrum at 6%, 8%, 10% or 12% of a calf’s body weight on IgG absorption, gastric emptying and postfeeding behavior.

Gastric emptying is an important factor as no colostrum absorption occurs in the abomasum. Passage to the small intestine in a timely manner before absorption efficiency goes down is key. Calves fed at 10% and 15% of their body weight had significantly lower apparent efficiency of absorption of IgG rates and showed significantly more behavioral signs of discomfort (abdomen kicks) than those fed 6% and 8%.

“So yes, you’re feeding a bigger mass of immunoglobulin when you feed these larger body weight [percentages], but if your efficiency of absorption is going down and you have these health complications, is that really the best thing for the calf?” Sockett says.

A study of 818 calves across 61 Holstein dairy farms by Morin and colleagues at the University of Montreal looked into how colostrum management practices impacted transfer of passive immunity (TPI). They found that the No. 1 factor affecting apparent IgG absorption was the concentration of IgG in the colostrum, or colostrum quality. Calves fed colostrum with a Brix value over 24.5% were almost three times more likely to have received adequate TPI. Additionally, calves fed equal to or greater than 2.5 liters of colostrum at their first meal (notably less than 10% of the calves body weight) within three hours of birth had the highest odds of receiving adequate TPI.

This adds weight to Sockett’s assertion.

“Think about our recommendation standards,” he says. “We haven’t even been talking about the two most important variables of effective efficiency of colostrum absorption. We have to start thinking about the quality of the colostrum and the mass of colostrum being delivered.”

If you’re creating a colostrum feeding program for a dairy operation, Sockett and Breuer recommend collecting a database of information of what’s going on in the herd. Answer the following questions to tailor the program to your farm:

What is the average birth weight of the calves? What are the lightest and heaviest animals?
Are you feeding pooled or individual colostrum?
What is the normal weight of the colostrum?
What is the mean and standard deviation of the Brix scores?
What is the timing of first colostrum delivery?
What are your TPI goals?

The idea is not to abandon colostrum best practices but to update them strategically. By refining colostrum feeding protocols, verifying colostrum quality, aligning volume with body weight and monitoring outcomes, dairy operations can create their own evidence-based practice. The result? Healthier calves, fewer complications and better use of that liquid gold.

Texas A&M Researchers Study Diet’s Impact On Salmonella Prevalence In Cattle

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 15:29:16 GMT

Salmonella is one of the leading causes of foodborne illnesses in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and can spread to people from a variety of foods, including beef. Understanding how and why cattle become infected with Salmonella is an important part of fighting this major public health concern.

Researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) are addressing this problem from a new angle by studying how diet and feeding schedule impact Salmonella infections in cattle.

Their recent study , published in the American Society for Microbiology’s Microbiology Spectrum journal, found that high-starch diets can potentially lower Salmonella prevalence in cattle, especially within the lymph nodes — organs that are often embedded in fat trims included in ground beef products.

“Lymph nodes may be present in fat trimmings that are used to balance lean-to-fat ratios in ground beef products,” says Yesica Botero, a fourth-year biomedical sciences doctorate student. “This is a food safety concern because Salmonella can hide inside lymph nodes, where surface cleaning or treatments do not reach. As a result, it can still be present in ground beef.”

Feedyard cattle are typically fed a high-energy, grain-based diet designed to promote rapid growth and efficient weight gain.

Understanding the role that a high-starch diet potentially plays in reducing Salmonella prevalence could have major impacts on the beef cattle industry, providing ranchers with new options for controlling the spread of bacteria within their herds.

Taking A New Approach

The Texas A&M project was designed to study feedlot cattle that Dr. Kendall Samuelson, from West Texas A&M University, was examining in a separate project to see whether high-starch diets and feeding schedules impact liver abscess formation.

“We aimed to understand the factors that contribute to the presence and distribution of salmonella in feedlot cattle,” said Dr. Gizem Levent , a VMBS assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences . “There aren’t many studies focusing on understanding how diet and management changes impact Salmonella.”

Botero and Levent took samples of feces, hides, lymph nodes and soil from Samuelson’s cattle pens over a period of more than seven months. They found that while there was little difference in Salmonella populations between cattle with scheduled versus erratic feedings, the level of starch in the diet made a notable impact.

“We saw a reduction in Salmonella, especially in the lymph nodes, when cattle were fed a high-starch diet,” Botero says. “High-starch diets typically cause a lower pH in the rumen, which may be what reduces Salmonella prevalence in the gastrointestinal tract and, subsequently, in lymph nodes.

“Findings from Dr. Samuelson’s original study suggested that high-starch diets may also correlate with a higher incidence of liver abscesses,” she says. “This is something we would like to explore further in upcoming studies by testing different starch concentrations in the diet to find one that does not harm cattle health — such as by increasing the risk of liver abscesses — but still helps lower Salmonella levels.”

Continuing The Investigation

In addition to studying how different levels of starch impact liver abscesses and Salmonella, Levent and Botero are planning to dive even deeper into the data to study the specific serotypes, or genetic profiles of Salmonella, observed in their samples.

“We want to do a follow-up study with more in-depth analysis of the dynamics of the Salmonella population,” Botero says. “By looking at the genetic profiles, we can better understand which serotypes are present, how they might respond to antibiotics, and whether they carry genes that make them more likely to survive or spread in the environment.”

Fortunately, what they have seen so far from the feedlot samples does not indicate a high presence of Salmonella or serotypes resistant to antibiotics.

“The overall Salmonella population found was not resistant to antibiotics of public health concern, which is good news for public health,” Levent said. “But we will definitely keep screening for resistance so that we can better understand what makes resistant populations exist in the environment.”

Millions Of Malaria Diagnoses May Actually Be Brucellosis, Texas A&M Researchers Find

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 17:38:45 GMT

Brucellosis is a serious and often neglected disease endemic to many low- and middle-income countries around the world. Because it shares many of the same clinical symptoms as malaria — including fever and joint pain — it can be misdiagnosed.

Until recently, scientists have not known how often brucellosis is mistaken for malaria or other febrile illnesses, but new research from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) has discovered that as many as 7 million people worldwide may receive a misdiagnosis each year — vastly increasing the number of people estimated to have the disease.

If a patient is misdiagnosed with malaria, any treatment they receive will be ineffective because the two diseases have different causes — malaria is caused by parasites spread through mosquitoes while brucellosis is caused by bacteria spread through animals.

This not only means that millions of individuals are suffering without proper treatment but also that most affected countries’ doctors, veterinarians and policymakers lack awareness of the disease’s characteristics and prevalence.

The VMBS research team, led by associate professor Dr. Angela Arenas , is now focused on providing information about the disease to educate these health professionals and leaders as well as community members in several countries.

A Life-Altering Disease
Brucellosis spreads to people from major livestock species, including cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats, as well as through consumption of unpasteurized dairy products.
If the disease is not treated early, it becomes a chronic condition that can lead to neurological issues, cardiovascular issues, and potentially death.

“We call it a neglected disease because it’s underdiagnosed and there’s not enough funding to address it,” Arenas said. “Veterinarians and physicians don’t know about the disease, so they don’t know what to look for or how to diagnose it.”
Brucellosis symptoms can mimic malaria, typhoid, or even food poisoning, leading many people to get misdiagnosed multiple times before finally receiving the correct treatment, if they ever do.

“One of the major issues is that malaria is such a prevalent disease in many of these countries; it has hundreds of millions of cases per year,” said Dr. Christopher Laine, an assistant research scientist and epidemiologist in Arenas’ lab. “It’s very easy for brucellosis to get lost in that mix. But if just a small fraction of those diagnosed with malaria actually have brucellosis, you increase the incidence by millions.”

Refining The Numbers
Arenas’ team has visited several countries affected by brucellosis over the years, including Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroon , South Africa and Armenia .

The researchers collaborated with Dr. Valen Johnson, a Distinguished Professor in Texas A&M’s Department of Statistics and former dean of the College of Science, to develop statistical models that predict brucellosis incidence based on proven rates in similar countries.

“For example, Kenya had information from before they prioritized the disease — when there was no brucellosis diagnosis — and then after they prioritized it,” Laine said. “Overall, these countries found that 4-11% of their malaria cases were actually brucellosis. We took brucellosis rates from places like that and applied them to places that were very similar.”

When developing their final estimates, the team determined that there was likely a .25-4% increase to the global incidence rate of brucellosis — which would escalate the number of affected individuals by 2.1 million to 7 million people worldwide.
“We wanted to be very conservative in our estimates while still showing physicians out there that they need to start paying attention to brucellosis,” Laine said. “Because, even if they’re only wrong once out of 400 times, that still equals millions of cases overall.”

A Real-World Impact
While the team is continuing its research — including by studying bacteria prevalence in raw milk and testing individuals it suspects to be misdiagnosed — it will also continue its education and outreach missions.

“We’re focused not only on finding the problem but also telling the policymakers and stakeholders what to do next,” Arenas said. “We need to create awareness among them that the brucellosis problem is huge compared to what they were thinking.”

Thanks in part to funding from the United States Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health and Department of Agriculture, the team works with small-scale farmers, professors, physicians and public health personnel in affected countries to educate them about the disease’s symptoms and how it spreads. Veterinarians also play a major role in controlling the spread of the disease.

“If we control the disease in animals, we control the disease in humans,” Arenas said.

The team is also providing new training opportunities for the next generation of researchers in affected countries who are hoping to dedicate their careers to fighting brucellosis and similar diseases.

“Right now, our team has three Ph.D. students from Cameroon who got all their degrees in Africa but came here to get trained,” Arenas said. “We’re focused on sustainability and empowering these individuals so that once we leave their countries, they can fight the disease themselves.”

Brucellosis also holds importance for currently unaffected countries like the U.S. because of how quickly it spreads and its potential use as a bioweapon.

“If we are not prepared and we don’t have all the international stakeholders aware of and creating countermeasures to prevent, detect and control the disease, it could have a huge societal impact at the global level,” Arenas said. “It’s very important to control it there so it doesn’t come back here, either naturally or in a nefarious manner.”

By Megan Bennett, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.