Clinical, Biochemical and Bacteriological Investigation of Pneumonia in Calves with Special Reference to Alpha-1-Acid Glycoprotein Response

In order to investigate clinical and biochemical parameters in calves with bovine respiratory disease (BRD), twenty-five Holstein calves with clinical picture of BRD were selected to this investigation. Ten clinically healthy calves were selected as a control group. Blood, nasal and bronchoalveolar lavage were obtained from all calves under investigation. Complete blood parameters picture were investigated. Serum total protein, albumin, Triglyceride (TAG), High Density Lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), Total cholesterol, Alanine Amino Transferase (ALT), Aspartate Amino Transferase (AST), and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) were examined. Alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) was estimated in all calves under investigation. Bacteriological examination showed Pasteurella spp in 18 calves and Escherichia coli in seven calves. The laboratory results revealed a significant (P ? 0.05) increase in the levels of white blood cells and neutrophilia in calves with pneumonia when compared with control groups. Moreover, there was a significant (P ? 0.05) increase in the values of TAG, VLDL-c, LDL-c, ALT, AST, ALP and AGP with significant (P ? 0.05) decrease in the levels of total protein, albumin, cholesterol, HDL-c in calves with BRD when compared with control ones. From the present study, it could be concluded that AGP and lipoprotein profile could be used as diagnostic markers for BRD in calves.