Characterisation of the Upper Respiratory Tract Virome of Feedlot Cattle and Its Association with Bovine Respiratory Disease

Rebecca K Ambrose; Claudia Blakebrough-Hall; Jennifer L Gravel; Luciano A Gonzalez; Timothy J Mahony

doi:10.3390/v15020455

Characterisation of the Upper Respiratory Tract Virome of Feedlot Cattle and Its Association with Bovine Respiratory Disease

Viruses. 2023 Feb 6;15(2):455. doi: 10.3390/v15020455.

Authors

Rebecca K Ambrose¹, Claudia Blakebrough-Hall², Jennifer L Gravel¹, Luciano A Gonzalez^{2

3}, Timothy J Mahony⁴

Affiliations

¹ Agriscience Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Ecosciences Precinct, Dutton Park, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia.
² School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2570, Australia.
³ Sydney Institute of Agriculture, University of Sydney, Biomedical Building, Australian Technology Park, Sydney, NSW 2015, Australia.
⁴ Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Queensland Bioscieces Precinct, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.

Abstract

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a major health problem within the global cattle industry. This disease has a complex aetiology, with viruses playing an integral role. In this study, metagenomics was used to sequence viral nucleic acids in the nasal swabs of BRD-affected cattle. The viruses detected included those that are well known for their association with BRD in Australia (bovine viral diarrhoea virus 1), as well as viruses known to be present but not fully characterised (bovine coronavirus) and viruses that have not been reported in BRD-affected cattle in Australia (bovine rhinitis, bovine influenza D, and bovine nidovirus). The nasal swabs from a case-control study were subsequently tested for 10 viruses, and the presence of at least one virus was found to be significantly associated with BRD. Some of the more recently detected viruses had inconsistent associations with BRD. Full genome sequences for bovine coronavirus, a virus increasingly associated with BRD, and bovine nidovirus were completed. Both viruses belong to the Coronaviridae family, which are frequently associated with disease in mammals. This study has provided greater insights into the viral pathogens associated with BRD and highlighted the need for further studies to more precisely elucidate the roles viruses play in BRD.

Keywords: bovine coronavirus; bovine herpesvirus 1; bovine nidovirus; bovine respiratory disease; bovine respiratory syncytial virus; bovine viral diarrhoea virus 1; case control; odds ratio; virome.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Case-Control Studies
Cattle
Cattle Diseases*
Coronavirus, Bovine* / genetics
Mammals
Nidovirales*
Nose
Respiratory Tract Diseases*
Trachea
Virome

Grants and funding

This study was supported by grants B.FLT.0164 and B.FLT.0224 from Meat and Livestock Australia with matching funds provided by the Australian Government. The funders of this study had no role in the design, analyses, or decision to publish this report.