UC Davis

We conducted a nested, case-control study of pre-weaned dairy calves ( n = 477; 4 California dairy farms) to assess the association between bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and hematologic biomarkers, including plasma haptoglobin (Hp) and plasma bactericide (PB). At each location, heifer or bull dairy calves were observed 2-4 times per week until confirmed as BRD-positive using parallel interpretation of thoracic ultrasound examination and auscultation. In addition, control calves were enrolled after being confirmed as BRD-negative using ultrasound and auscultation. Complete blood counts (CBC), PB, and Hp concentrations were measured. Hp values were higher in calves with confirmed BRD than in controls ( p < 0.01). The area under the curve (AUC) for the various biomarkers was obtained from the corresponding receiver operating characteristic curves. The AUC for Hp was 0.68, a value greater than those for PB or the remaining CBC parameters, indicating that Hp may be the most useful biomarker of BRD in pre-weaned dairy calves. The cutoff value for Hp was 0.195 g/L.