HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Larson, R. L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Larson, R. L.

Effect of cattle disease on carcass traits¹

College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia 65211

² Correspondence: A331 Clydesdale Hall (phone: 573-882-8236; fax: 573-884-9139; e-mail: LarsonR{at}missouri.edu).

The movement to price an increasing percentage of fed cattle on carcass merit grids has renewed interest in the effect of cattle disease on carcass traits. There is growing evidence that disease has the potential to affect not only carcass weight, but also the quantity, location, and ratio of muscle, fat, and water. A clear mechanistic pathway linking disease to changes in carcass traits has not been made. Three theories considered in this review are 1) a change in metabolic signals, such as cytokines and cortisol, could affect carcass composition through modification of hypothalamic secretions of thyrotropin-releasing hormone, by inhibition of IGF-I and insulin actions on muscle and fat tissues, and by direct protein catabolism and lipolysis; 2) disease-induced anorexia causing a decrease in serum IGF-I and an increase in serum GH, which induces a change in the partitioning of nutrients for tissue deposition; and 3) an indirect (and reversible) effect of anorexia, whereby sick cattle are on feed for fewer effective days than pen mates that do not become sick. Other pathogen or immune-mediated responses to disease, as well as interactions among hormones and cytokines, may influence nutrient partitioning and body composition but have yet to be described. The use of carcass merit to determine the value of fed cattle provides an improved economic signal of the cost of cattle disease. The value of disease avoidance as well as rapid diagnosis and treatment of disease increases when cattle are sold on carcass merit basis because of the negative effects of disease on carcass traits.

Key Words: Beef cattle • Carcass Composition • Respiratory Diseases • Anorexia • Cytokines

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. J. White and D. G. Renter Bayesian estimation of the performance of using clinical observations and harvest lung lesions for diagnosing bovine respiratory disease in post-weaned beef calves J Vet Diagn Invest, July 1, 2009; 21(4): 446 - 453. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]