Characterization of the respiratory microbiome and virome associated with Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex

Authors: McDaneld, Tara; COSBY, LOUISE - Queen'S University - Ireland; EARLEY, BERNADETTE - Teagasc (AGRICULTURE AND FOOD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY); DUFFY, KERRIE - Teagasc (AGRICULTURE AND FOOD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY); MCGEE, MARK - Teagasc (AGRICULTURE AND FOOD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY); Kuehn, Larry; Workman, Aspen; CONANT, GAVIN - North Carolina State University; CORMICAN, PAUL - Teagasc (AGRICULTURE AND FOOD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY); MCCABE, MATTHEW - Teagasc (AGRICULTURE AND FOOD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY); DUFFY, CATHERINE - Queen'S University - Ireland; TURKINGTON, HANNAH - Queen'S University - Ireland; LEMON, KEN - Queen'S University - Ireland; MCMENAMY, MICHAEL - Queen'S University - Ireland; SMYTH, VICTORIA - Queen'S University - Ireland; Smith, Timothy

Submitted to: Research Workers in Animal Diseases Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/30/2023
Publication Date: 1/30/2023
Citation: McDaneld, T.G., Cosby, L., Earley, B., Duffy, K., McGee, M., Kuehn, L.A., Workman, A.M., Conant, G., Cormican, P., McCabe, M., Duffy, C., Turkington, H., Lemon, K., McMenamy, M., Smyth, V., Smith, T.P.L. 2023. Characterization of the respiratory microbiome and virome associated with Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex [abstract]. In: Proceedings Conference Research Workers in Animal Diseases, January 22-24, 2023 in Chicago, IL. p. 178. Available: https://crwad.org.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Bovine respiratory disease (BRD; pneumonia) is one of the most significant health problems in cattle and the most expensive animal disease afflicting herds in the cattle industry. Effective immunization or antimicrobial therapies that substantially reduce the prevalence or severity of BRD have not been developed despite decades of research, due to the multifactorial etiopathogenesis of the disease that encompasses an array of infectious agents, as well as environmental and management potentiating factors. In this multidisciplinary project, we aim to 1) investigate the prevalence and distribution of the respiratory microbiome and virome associated with BRD in beef herds at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) and in beef and dairy herds in Ireland (Teagasc); 2) employ next-generation sequencing (NGS), third-generation sequencing (TGS), bioinformatic technologies, and high throughput sensitive and rapid diagnostics to identify respiratory viral and bacterial agents associated with BRD (USMARC and Teagasc); and 3) elucidate the dynamics of secondary viral and bacterial infection by monitoring experimentally virus infected animals in longitudinal studies (Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI, N. Ireland)). To date, nasal swabs have been collected from herds in the US and Ireland for year one and year two, and evaluation of the bacterial and viral populations through next-generation sequencing and qPCR has been completed. In the U.S. herd, bacterial communities were different between sampling time (initial vaccination, preconditioning, and weaning) as shown by beta diversity. In the Irish herd, relative abundance of Mycoplasma spp. was more elevated in the BRD diagnosed calves than the pen matched healthy calves as revealed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Assessing the viral communities in the Irish herd, we found Bovine coronavirus to be prevalent in all calves, regardless of health status; however, we identified a higher prevalence of Bovine rhinitis A virus in BRD diagnosed calves. Analysis of these specific respiratory pathogens will present a clearer picture of the distribution of bacterial and viral populations in cattle prior to and after weaning.