Like people, cattle get colds and if one cow gets infected, it doesn’t take long to spread through the mob.
Australian surveillance shows that Mannheimia haemolytica (MH) is one of the most common bacterial components of the BRD Complex.
Abattoir data indicates that sub-clinical BRD is common. The consequences are depression and loss of appetite, causing a reduction in carcass weight and reduced meat quality in young cattle1.
Cattle have evolved to hide their symptoms to avoid being singled out by predators. So if you see a cow with symptoms of ‘a cold’ then it’s likely that there are many more that are challenged or infected.