Aspectos clínicos e epidemiológicos da broncopneumonia dos bezerros em Botucatu, SP Clinicai and epidemiological aspects of calf pneumonia in Botucatu, SP

A survey of data related to 133 pneumonic calves, from birth to 12 month-old, referred to the Large Animal Medicine Ambulatory of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, UNESP, Botucatu, between 1980 and 1991, was made in order to evaluate some epidemiological and clinicai aspects, including distribuition by month, age, sex, probable etiology and association with other diseases; presence of dyspnea, cough, nasal discharge and adventitious lung sounds; dehydration status, temperature and cardiac and repiratory rates. The results showed that calf pneumonia is a relatively common problem (12,27%), usually caused by viral and/or bacterial (89,47%) infections and dictiocaulosis (1 0,53%), in animais up to and above the age of 6 months, respectively, with no seazonal pattern or sex predilection, and frequently concomitant with other diseases {60,9%), like diarrhea and anaplasmosis. The affected calves showed variably dyspnea, cough, nasal discharge, hyperthermia and tachycardia, and consistently tachypnea, and increased intensity breath sounds and adventitous sounds detected on pulmonary auscultation.