Location: Livestock Issues Research
2024 Annual Report
Objectives
Objective 1: Use high-throughput phenotyping, automated data capture, and data computational technologies to explore relationships among animal behavior, environment, and management practices on animal productivity and well-being.
Sub-objective 1.A: Utilize automated data capture technologies to study the influence of phenotype, environment and management strategies on production efficiency, well-being, and the prevalence of enteric and foodborne pathogens in beef cattle.
Sub-objective 1.B: Evaluate non-invasive infrared thermography for targeted metaphylactic antibiotic treatment to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics in feedlot production while maintaining animal productivity, health, and well-being.
Sub-objective 1.C: Evaluate the ability of non-antibiotic alternatives to reduce and mitigate Salmonella pathogenesis and its negative impacts on overall well-being in dairy calves and swine.
Objective 2: Reduce the incidence and severity of liver abscesses in cattle through management strategies.
Sub-objective 2.A: Continue development of an experimental model to study liver abscesses in cattle.
Sub-objective 2.B: Utilize nutritional supplements to reduce the incidence and severity of liver abscesses in cattle.
Objective 3: Evaluate natural variations, hormonal regulation, and nutritional modulation of immune cell activity and inflammation in livestock.
Sub-objective 3.A: Utilize in vitro immune cell phenotyping to determine the influence of temperament on immunity and disease resistance in beef cattle.
Sub-objective 3.B: Evaluate the role of ghrelin in vitro and in vivo as a means to reduce inflammation and improve well-being in cattle and swine.
Sub-objective 3.C: Evaluate changes in inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in cattle and swine fed various non-antibiotic feed additives including sorghum extracts and cotton seed oil products.
Approach
Animal health and well-being continues to be at the forefront of livestock production. Any progress to be made in responsibly producing livestock products must be made through providing tools to improve animal productivity and well-being. It is now understood that many factors influence animal well-being and productivity, including phenotype (i.e., temperament), nutrition, environment (i.e., climate changes), and health status. Further complicating the matter is the increased consumer pressure to decrease antimicrobial use in livestock, and the need to identify viable antibiotic alternatives in order to maintain animal productivity and health. Therefore, this research will increase understanding of the interactions among phenotype, nutrition, and environmental factors to improve/provide tools for producers to maximize productivity and well-being. Objective 1 will utilize high-throughput phenotyping and automated data capture and computation technologies to improve animal productivity and well-being. Additionally, non-invasive biomarker data capture techniques will be tested that can provide valuable information to producers. For Objective 2 we will continue development of an experimental model to study liver abscess development and strategies to reduce liver abscess incidence and severity in cattle. Lastly, Objective 3 will assess differences in immune cell function stemming from natural variations and non-antibiotic additives and will evaluate how these factors may be utilized to reduce inflammation and improve productivity. Together, these objectives will provide invaluable information to cattle and swine producers on the impact of phenotype, environment, and nutrition on livestock productivity, health and well-being, and provide tools to help producers continue to provide healthy animal products to consumers.
Progress Report
In the second year of the project plan, ARS researchers in Lubbock, Texas, conducted 6 studies to further understand and provide resources and recommendations to improve the well-being and productivity of livestock. For Sub-objective 1A, a study was conducted to better understand the role of phenotype on the immune response. Specifically, Lubbock, Texas, scientists, in collaboration with university partners, studied the role of breed, specifically dairy influenced beef (beef-dairy cross), on the acute activation of the immune system. While data analysis continues on this project, clear physiological differences in the response to an immune stimulant were observed between native beef calves and beef - dairy crossbred calves, suggesting a significant influence of dairy breed integration on the acute immune response. Three studies were conducted under Sub-objective 1C. ARS researchers in conjunction with university and industry partners, studied a probiotic feed additive with and without metaphylaxis to determine the effect on Salmonella prevalence in feces and in lymph node samples. Data from this study found that there was an interaction between metaphylaxis and the probiotic feed additive on Salmonella prevalence. These data suggest that further studies are needed to understand the role of metaphylaxis on the efficacy of non-antibiotic feed additives, such as probiotics, and their effects on reducing Salmonella prevalence and growth efficiency. A second study was conducted under Sub-objective 1C with university collaborators, where the role of prenatal immune stimulation on the immune response of offspring was investigated in pigs. From this study, data suggest that pigs exposed to immune stimulation during gestation had a reduced response to the same stimulant at approximately 8 weeks of age. These data suggest that the immune system can be altered during gestation in pigs and opens the door to the possibility of better preparing pigs for pathogen exposure in the neonatal period. Another study under Sub-objective 1C, conducted in collaboration with university partners, evaluated the role of micro RNAs on reducing Salmonella shedding and prevalence in neonatal dairy calves. Data analysis continues for this study. For Sub-objective 2A, a study was conducted in collaboration with university partners, to further refine a liver abscess model in cattle. In this study, variations in bacterial inoculation and dietary changes were evaluated in an attempt to shorten the length of time needed to develop liver abscesses in cattle. Results from this study provided important information on the effectiveness of multiple low-dose bacterial inoculations and resulted in use of this mode of inoculation in future applications of the liver abscess model. More importantly, this model study proved that liver abscesses can occur independent of ruminal acidosis and a diet high in starch which challenges the long-accepted dogma of rumenitis and acidosis being the primary drivers for liver abscesses. One study was conducted under Sub-objective 2B, where we evaluated the effectiveness of two non-antibiotic feed additives on the ability to reduce the prevalence of liver abscesses in cattle. Data from this study demonstrated a 25% reduction in liver abscesses in cattle fed a probiotic and fatty acid supplement while using the in-house developed liver abscess model. This study suggests that non-antibiotic feed additives may be a viable method to reduce the incidence of liver abscesses in cattle.
Accomplishments
1. How much antibiotic is needed to prevent diseasein cattle. Metaphylaxis is when all cattle at risk or previously exposed to disease are treated with an antibiotic upon arrival at a feedlot to prevent or minimize disease expression and protect the whole population from widespread illness. ARS scientists in Lubbock, Texas, with university collaborators, tested the effects of treating all cattle in a pen with an antibiotic compared to 66, 33, or 0% of the cattle in a pen. Researchers found that treating 100% or 66% of cattle in a pen with an antibiotic on arrival reduced the number of times cattle got sick during the first 35 days. Further, the overall amount of antimicrobial was reduced, and cost of antibiotic use was less in the 100% and 66% groups compared to the 33 and 0% groups. This study demonstrates the importance of giving an antibiotic to highly stressed cattle on arrival at a feedlot, as it can improve health and well-being of cattle and reduce cost to the producer. Further, only treating a percentage of highly stressed cattle may be effective to reduce disease spread within a population while improving profitability and potentially preserving the efficacy of antimicrobials used to treat and prevent disease.
2. Honing in on the cause of liver abscesses in cattle. Costing the industry almost $1 billion each year, liver abscesses remain a major issue in the cattle industry. With the recent increase in dairy-influenced beef in beef production, producers are seeing a greater incidence of liver abscesses. Thus, efforts must continue to understand the liver abscess disease to find better solutions for beef producers and improve animal well-being. ARS scientists in Lubbock, Texas, and university collaborators evaluated different bacterial treatment and diet protocols to refine an in-house developed liver abscess model using beef-dairy cross steers to further understand the causes of this costly disease. Results from this study found that using a more real-world, multiple low-dose bacterial treatment was as effective in causing liver abscess development as a large single dose. Further, initial data suggests that changes in diet may not play a role in liver abscess development as previously thought. These data are essential in the refinement of the liver abscess model in cattle, which will be used by researchers worldwide to test alternative methods to reduce liver abscess incidence in beef and dairy influenced beef cattle.
Review Publications
McDaniel, Z.S., Hales, K.E., Salih, H., Deters, A., Shi, X., Nagaraja, T.G., Lawrence, T.E., Amachawadi, R.G., Tennant, T.T., Carroll, J.A., Sanchez, N.C., Galyean, M.L., Smock, T.M., Ballou, M.A., Machado, V.S., Davis, E., Broadway, P.R. 2024. Development of an experimental model to induce liver abscesses in steers using an acidotic diet challenge and intraruminal bacterial inoculation. Journal of Animal Science. 102(3). https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad281.082.
Hanratty, A.N., Sanchez, N.C., Broadway, P.R., Carroll, J.A., Hoffman, A.A., Manahan, J.L., McDaniel, Z.S., Smock, T.M., Dornbach, C., Line, D., Theurer, M.E., Galyean, M.L., Hales, K.E. 2023. Random metaphylaxis effects on health outcomes, complete blood count, antimicrobial use, and growth performance of high-risk beef steers. Applied Animal Science. 39:380-390. https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2023-02458.
Dornbach, C.W., Hales, K.E., Gubbels, E., Wells, J., Hoffman, A.A., Hanratty, A.N., Line, D.J., Smock, T.M., Manahan, J.L., McDaniel, Z.S., Kohl, K.B., Sanchez, N.C., Carroll, J.A., Warren, R., Smith, Z.K., Broadway, P.R. 2023. Longitudinal assessment of prevalence and incidence of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157 resistance to antimicrobials in feedlot cattle sourced and finished in different regions of the U.S. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. 20(8). https://doi.org/10.1089/fpd.2023.0009.
Smock, T.M., Broadway, P.R., Sanchez, N.C., Carroll, J.A., Hoffman, A.A., Long, N.S., Manahan, J.L., McDaniel, Z.S., Theurer, M.E., Wells, J., Hales, K.E. 2023. Infrared thermography or rectal temperature as qualification for targeted metaphylaxis in high-risk, newly received beef steers and the effects on growth performance, complete blood count, and serum haptoglovin during a 42-day feedlot receiving period. Applied Animal Science. 39(4):213-226. https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2022-02370.
McDaniel, Z.S., Hales, K.E., Nagaraja, T.G., Lawrence, T.E., Amachawadi, R.G., Carroll, J.A., Sanchez, N.C., Galyean, M.L., Smock, T.M., Ballou, M.A., Machado, V.S., Broadway, P.R. 2023. Evaluation of an endotoxin challenge and intraruminal bacterial inoculation model to induce liver abscesses in Holstein steers. Journal of Animal Science. 101. Article skad 242. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad242.
Izquierdo, V.S., Silva, J.V., Ranches, J., Santos, G.C., Carroll, J.A., Sanchez, N.C., Bittar, J.H., Vendramini, J.M., Moriel, P. 2023. Removing maternal heat stress abatement during gestation modulated postnatal physiology and improved performance of Bos indicus-influenced beef offspring. Journal of Animal Science. 101. Article skad250 https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad250.
Lindholm-Perry, A.K., Keel, B.N., Hales, K.E., Wells, J.E., Kuehn, L.A., Keele, J.W., Crouse, M.S., Nonneman, D.J., Nagaraja, T.G., Lawrence, T.E., Amachawadi, R.G., Carroll, J.A., Burdick Sanchez, N.C., Broadway, P.R. 2024. Ileal epithelial tissue transcript profiles of steers with experimentally induced liver abscesses. Applied Animal Science. 40(3):414-420. https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2023-02503.