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Endotoxemia is a condition that often develops in cattle with bovine respiratory disease. BRD is a bacterial lung infection caused by Pasteurella multocida, Pasteurella haemolytica or Haemophilus somnus and remains a major economic problem in the cattle industry. It results in poor production, weight gain, feed conversion and sometimes death. Endotoxemia can also reduce performance and prevent a speedy recovery. Endotoxemia occurs as both the animal's immune system attacks bacteria and as antibiotics disrupt the ability of bacteria to repair themselves, explains Dr. Roger B. Winter, a bovine veterinarian with Schering-Plough Animal Health. As a result, bacteria break up and fall apart, releasing cell wall "chunks" that contain endotoxins which cause inflammation and tissue damage in the lungs. "Endotoxemia is part of the overall disease complex in BRD," says Dr. James S. Cullor, director of the Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center, Tulare, California. "Its just part of what's making the animal with BRD sick. If we understand that, we can better diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent more serious illness and production losses," he said. Dr. Cullor points out that some inflammation is good. "It helps stimulate the immune system. It's the body's way of saying 'get tough'," he says. "But after a certain point, inflammation causes a lot of trouble in the heart and lungs. The degree of trouble it causes varies among individual animals." Signs of endotoxemia are hard to miss in cattle. "They'll stop eating, act depressed and have a fever," Dr. Winter says. "What appears at first to be a slight illness can progress rapidly to a severe, life-threatening situation. The heart rate may be weak and rapid and the respiratory rate fast and shallow. Normally pink tissues, such as the nose or gums, will be dark and muddy, indicating a lack of oxygen. "Without intervention to prevent further tissue damage, the animal will collapse to the ground and will be unable to get up," he says. Veterinarians agree the best way to prevent the devastating results which can occur as a result of endotoxemia is to treat it promptly. "Get the infection under control as quickly as you can with antibiotics and good nursing care," Dr. Cullor says. "It is important to control the effects of endotoxemia with anti-inflammatory therapy. The sooner it's given the better." Anti-inflammatories cannot neutralize endotoxins, but they do help block their effects," says Dr. Winter. "They inhibit an enzyme that produces pain and inflammation." Based on first-hand experience, Dr. Doug Ford of Beaver Creek Veterinary Clinic, Brush, Colo., says that for reducing stress, vaccination and antibiotics are the first line of defense against BRD. "We also need to treat for endotoxemia with an anti-inflamm-atory," he agrees. "An anti- inflammatory isn't a silver bullet, but it is a useful tool. It can make animals with BRD feel better, so animals get back on feed. If cattle eat, they keep up their strength and will be better able to overcome BRD," Dr. Ford says. Dr. Kelly Lechtenberg of Midwest Feedlot Services, Inc. in Oakland, Neb., agrees. "By moderating the inflammatory response, we can potentially make the animal feel better and get back on feed faster, minimizing the effects of the disease," he says. The type of anti-inflammatory that is used is important, he points out. "We want to select a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory that can reduce the inflammatory response without suppressing the ability of the animal to respond to infection, as steroids might," says the feedlot consultant. However, the cost effectiveness of using anti-inflammatories has been questioned. "A few trials have already shown there are economic benefits and more trials are underway," Dr. Winter says. "The savings come in reduced chronic cases, deaths and return to regular feed consumption," says Dr. Ford. "Treating promptly for endotoxemia can greatly reduce deaths and illness, which ultimately should improve the cattle producer's bottom line," notes Dr. Winter. |
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