CattleReview: January–February 2022

The bovine respiratory microbiome is strongly associated with health and disease and may provide insights for alternative therapy when treating bovine respiratory disease (BRD). The niche-specific microbiome communities that colonise the surface of the respiratory tract consist of a dynamic and complex ecological system. The correlation between the disequilibrium in the respiratory ecosystem and BRD has become a hot research topic. Hence, in a review paper by Chai et al (2022) (Veterinary Researchhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13567-021-01020-x) the authors summarise the pathogenesis and clinical signs of BRD and the alteration of the respiratory microbiota. They discuss the process of resident microbiota and pathogen colonisation as well as the host immune response. Although associations between the microbiota and BRD have been revealed to some extent, further research is needed to allow a better understanding of the importance of the airway microbiome and its contributions to animal health and performance.

Perhaps now, employing this new research and techniques, we will begin to make significant breakthroughs in our understanding of BRD, allowing better prevention and treatment. For too long we have been treating calves with antibiotics without a good understanding of the complex microbial interactions at play in the respiratory system.