Evolving market conditions, shifting consumer preferences, and an unpredictable pathogen landscape continuously challenge margins and herd profitability. Using a science-driven approach, United Animal Health works to collaborate with producers on proactive strategies for managing health and optimizing the genetic potential of their herd.
Intuitively, we understand the economic burden of major diseases, both in terms of treatment cost, replacements, and production losses. A recent global study, published last summer in the Journal of Dairy Science[1], estimates the annual impact of the most common diseases at around $766/cow in the United States. Subclinical pathologies, such as subclinical mastitis, can be particularly costly to producers ($119/cow/year), due to low detection rates and prolonged decreases in productivity. Adequate management of pathogen loads, particularly during periods of insults and environmental pressures, is crucial to reduce the duration of subclinical diseases and their eventual progression to full-blown clinical cases.
Leveraging the power of PathKinex™, United Animal Health’s pathogen surveillance platform, we can tackle this subject with more precision and extract key learnings that help establish strategies to drive profitability. Here are 5 insights based on our nationwide pathogen survey:
1. In most cases, there’s more than one pathogen impacting cow health and performance.
- Using the PathKinex microbial surveillance platform, rectal swab samples from 2,620 cows (US commercial dairies) have been tested through December 2024 for the presence and quantities of specific virulence genes of interest. These samples represent a total domestic herd size of over 363,000 cows and span a cross-section of cows and heifers designated as either “healthy” (no clinical disease symptoms) or “sick” (clinical disease symptoms with suspected microbial challenges) at time of sampling (Figure 1A).
- Samples are tested for the presence and quantities of species-specific markers (i.e., E. coli, Clostridium, Salmonella, Mycoplasma and more), as well as virulence factors that allow us to detect specific pathogenic strains.
- Of all samples sourced from cows exhibiting enteric disease, 61% harbored more than pathogen (Figure 1B). This state of infection with the presence of multiple pathogens is known as coinfection and can include two pathogens of the same type (i.e., bacteria-bacteria coinfection) or of different taxonomic levels (i.e., bacteria and virus).
Considerations:
- Adequate pathogen surveillance is crucial to ensure pathogen loads are being managed and should be contextualized within the season and geography.
- Precision in pathogen surveillance requires a clear picture of all pathogens, including coinfection in sick animals.
- 2,620 animals, 96 farms in 17 states (total domestic herd size of >363,000 cows).
- Animals classified as sick or healthy at time of rectal swab sampling for live microbial culture and DNA.
- Further analyses using quantitative PCR data was conducted to determine factors associated with health status.
2. Disease incidence heightens when multiple pathogens are present.
- Our findings indicate that the presence of multiple pathogens leads to an increase in the risk of clinical symptoms, with the likelihood of clinical disease being between 1.8 and 2.5 times greater in cows that harbor multiple pathogens, compared to cows in which pathogenic virulence genes were not detected (Figure 2).
- The presence of a pathogen for extended periods of time can “pave the way” for other pathogens to establish themselves, leading to more severe disease presentation overall, as shown in published research [2], [3].
Considerations:
- Prevention of coinfection will lead to a decrease in disease presentation and severity, managing disease in a more efficient way.
- Nutritional solutions, such as probiotics and postbiotics, can be effective in reducing the extent and duration of coinfection (see our prior articles on this subject (How Probiotics Can Mitigate The Impact of Viral Coinfections and The Role of Probiotics in HPAI Coinfections).
3. Compound stressors compound challenges.
- External factors, such as diet changes, ingredient quality, environmental stressors, and immune stress due to challenging events (e.g. calving, dry-off) can all negatively contribute to the severity of disease at a given pathogen load. This can reach a tipping point and result in outbreaks that are tough to manage.
- Coinfections of different pathogen types, such as bacteria and viruses, can lead to complex challenges that require a multi-pronged approach. This is particularly important given the recent incidence of H5N1 avian influenza in dairy herds.
Considerations:
- Adopt a pathogen monitoring program to closely monitor coinfections. Unlikely pathogen pairings may appear: results from our surveillance in Texas showed that cows presenting symptoms of H5N1 avian influenza had 10 times higher quantities of Fusobacterium necrophorum (Figure 3). This association was not detected in prior herds.
4. Complex challenges require a program approach.
- A successful pathogen management plan consists of three fundamental steps in a PROgram approach:
1. Prevent: implement biosecurity and sanitation protocols to reduce the likelihood of pathogen entry and spread.
2. Reduce: tackle pathogen quantities through feed and water hygiene, mycotoxin mitigation, and pathogen inhibition tools
3. Optimize: improve immunity and gut health by protecting gut integrity, promoting gut microbiota diversity, boosting innate immunity and minimizing stressors.
5. There’s no silver bullet.
- Promoting resilience in response to compounding stressors is critical to protecting health and maximizing the animal’s genetic potential.
- While there’s no “silver bullet” solution, dietary strategies based on science backed Direct-fed microbials can aid in this goal by lowering pathogen loads, increasing innate immunity and promoting gut integrity.
As part of a program approach to managing health, the Strateris® family of products from United Animal Health can be considered as tools to help drive profitability based on desired goals:
- Strateris ECL: for complex challenges and during high-stress periods, Strateris ECL offers premium protection against multiple foes.
- Strateris CORE: protect health during maintenance.
- Strateris YEAST+CORE: promote a performance boost during maintenance.
To learn more on coinfections, pathogen surveillance, and United Animal Health’s Bacillus-based solutions, visit UnitedAnH.com/CowHealth or talk to a United Animal Health account manager today.
References
[1] P. Rasmussen et al., “Global losses due to dairy cattle diseases: A comorbidity-adjusted economic analysis,” Journal of Dairy Science, vol. 107, no. 9, pp. 6945–6970, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.3168/jds.2023-24626.
[2] H. Cui et al., “Enhanced pathogenicity and synergistic effects of co-infection with bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 and HoBi-like virus in cattle and guinea pigs,” Front. Vet. Sci., vol. 11, Nov. 2024, doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1464745.
[3] J. Zhang et al., “Synergistic Pathogenicity by Coinfection and Sequential Infection with NADC30-like PRRSV and PCV2 in Post-Weaned Pigs,” Viruses, vol. 14, no. 2, Art. no. 2, Feb. 2022, doi: 10.3390/v14020193.
