AGRICULTURAL NEWS - Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC), also called infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and bronchial pneumonia, is caused by a number of pathogenic viruses and bacteria.
Viruses include:
- Infectious rhinotracheitis;
- Bovine viral diarrhoea virus;
- Bovine respiratory syncytial virus;
- Parainfluenza 3 virus.
Bacteria include:
- Mannheimia haemolytica;
- Pasteurella multocida;
- Histophilus somni;
- Mycoplasma spp;
- Chlamydophila spp.
Negative environmental conditions that put an animal under stress cause its defence mechanism to function subnormally, and this plays an important role in the development of BRDC.
The condition is especially common in animals exposed to long- distance transport stress, and for this reason is also called shipping fever.
Of all feedlot diseases, BRDC causes the greatest economic loss.
Although it affects mainly feedlots, it can also lead to economic loss in dairy farming.
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