Comprehensive Outcomes Affected by Antimicrobial Metaphylaxis of Feedlot Calves at Medium-Risk for Bovine Respiratory Disease from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Simple Summary Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most impactful health disorder in the cattle industry. Metaphylaxis, administration of an antimicrobial to a group of animals at risk for BRD, is a proven method for reducing morbidity and mortality in at-risk populations. However, judicious antimicrobial use is warranted. Medium-risk cattle are a lesser studied population (versus high-risk), where advantages and disadvantages of metaphylaxis are less known, and thus there is more uncertainty on whether or not it should be used. Our objectives were to evaluate the effects of metaphylaxis in a medium-risk population on a comprehensive set of outcomes of value to stakeholders, to estimate the costs and benefits of using or not using metaphylaxis. Using a pull-and-treat program in lieu of metaphylaxis for BRD resulted in substantially less antimicrobial use. However, metaphylaxis improved animal health, performance, and estimated greenhouse gas emissions. While antimicrobial metaphylaxis could be removed from medium-risk populations, there are likely costs associated with such an action that would have negative impacts on animal wellbeing, beef production, economics, and emissions. The framework of values discussed herein should be fully considered by stakeholders considering antimicrobial use decisions. The objectives were to evaluate the effects of metaphylaxis (META) and pull-and-treat (PT) programs on health, antimicrobial use, beef production, economics, and greenhouse gas emissions in cattle at medium risk for bovine respiratory disease (BRD). A randomized complete block design was used at two US commercial feedlots. Steers and heifers [2366 total; 261 (+/- 11.0) kg initial weight] were blocked by sex and feedlot arrival, and allocated to one of two pens within a block (16 pens total, eight blocks). Pens were randomly assigned to treatment: META, tulathromycin injection at initial processing; or PT, tulathromycin injection only for first clinical BRD treatment. Data were analyzed with linear and generalized linear mixed models. There was greater BRD morbidity in PT than META cattle (17.2% vs. 7.3% respectively; p < 0.01), and greater total mortality (2.5% vs. 1.1% respectively; p = 0.03). Per animal enrolled, 1.1 antimicrobial doses were used for META compared to 0.2 for PT (p < 0.01). Per animal enrolled, final live (p = 0.04) and carcass (p = 0.08) weights were greater for META than PT; however, net returns ($/animal) were not significantly different (p = 0.71). Compared to PT, total lifetime estimated CO2 equivalent emissions from production were reduced by 2% per unit of live weight for META (p = 0.09). While antimicrobial use was reduced with PT, there may be substantial negative impacts on other outcomes if META was not used in this type of cattle population.