Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a multifactorial disease complex commonly affecting beef and dairy operations. Vaccination against major BRD-related pathogens is routinely performed for disease prevention; however, uniform reporting of health and performance outcomes is infrequent. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of commercially available BRD-pathogen vaccination on titer response with respect to health or performance in beef and dairy cattle. This study was conducted under Prisma 2020 guidelines for systematic reviews and PRESS guidelines utilizing five databases. Criteria for study inclusion were as follows: research conducted in the USA or Canada, between 1982 and 10 October 2022, on beef or dairy cattle, using a commercially available vaccine labeled for a respiratory pathogen of interest, which evaluated antibody titers alongside either performance or morbidity. A total of 3020 records underwent title and abstract evaluation. Full-text analysis was conducted on 466 reports; 101 studies were included in the final review. Approximately 74% of included studies were beef cattle-based versus 26% dairy cattle-based. This review aimed to assess how vaccination titer responses affect beef and dairy cattle health and performance, but varying study methods made comparisons difficult, highlighting the need for consistent reporting.

Cattle marketed through auction market systems and/or that remain unvaccinated are considered higher risk for BRD, but impacts on host response remain unclear. We sought to identify specific genomic patterns of beef calves vaccinated against BRD viruses or not and commercially marketed or directly transported in a split-plot randomized controlled trial. Forty-one calves who remained clinically healthy from birth through backgrounding were selected (randomly stratified) from a larger cohort of cattle (n = 81). Treatment groups included VAX/DIRECT (n = 12), VAX/AUCTION (n = 11), NOVAX/DIRECT (n = 7), and NOVAX/AUCTION (n = 11). Blood RNA was acquired across five time points, sequenced, and bioinformatically processed via HISAT2 and StringTie2. Significant transcriptional changes (FDR < 0.05) were observed at backgrounding entry (T5) in NOVAX/AUCTION cattle exhibiting 2809 uniquely differentially expressed genes and relative activation of immune, inflammatory, and metabolic pathways with upregulation of interferon-stimulated genes (e.g., IFIT3, MX2, and TRIM25) and downregulation of specialized proresolving mediator (SPM) enzymes (ALOX5 and ALOX15). VAX/AUCTION cattle exhibited modulated immune activation and preserved expression of SPM-associated genes when compared to NOVAX/AUCTION cattle. Both marketing route and vaccination shape the molecular immune landscape during high-stress transitions, with preweaning vaccination potentially modulating this response. This study provides mechanistic insight into how management practices influence immunological resilience and highlights the value of integrating transcriptomics into BRD risk mitigation.

Modified-live virus (MLV) vaccines are used routinely to immunize cattle against bovine respiratory disease (BRD) agents, but differences in the route and timing of MLV administration may exist. The objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a parenteral or intranasal MLV administered on d 0 or 28. Three truckload blocks of heifers (initial BW=208 kg; n = 600) were randomly assigned to treatments in a 2×2 factorial. The generalized complete block design consisted of 15 pens/treatment with pen as the experimental unit and 10 animals/pen. Treatments were: 1) Nasalgen 3/Vista BVD CFP on d 0 (NAS0); 2) Vista 5 SQ on d 0 (VIS0); 3) Nasalgen 3/Vista BVD CFP on d 28 (NAS28); 4) Vista 5 SQ on d 28 (VIS28). Performance, activity, and health data were analyzed in a mixed model and a subset of 3 cattle/pen were selected for antibody titer analyses with repeated measures. Body weight and blood samples were collected on d 0, 28, and 56. No differences existed for performance outcomes (P ≥ 0.19). Activity (351.4 vs. 354.3 min/d) and rumination (282.6 vs. 285.4 min/d) time was less (P < 0.01) for delayed vs. arrival vaccinated heifers. A timing × vaccine × day interaction existed (P < 0.01) for IBRV-specific antibody titers such that VIS0 was greatest, NAS0 was intermediate, and VIS28 and NAS28 were least on d 28 (P < 0.01). Percentage of chronically ill cattle was reduced for arrival vs. delayed (1.3 vs. 4.7%; P = 0.02) and tended (P = 0.06) to be less for VIS vs. NAS (1.7 vs. 4.3%). Arrival vaccinated heifers had a reduction in antimicrobial treatment cost (4.63 vs. $7.31; P = 0.02). These data indicate improvement in some health outcomes for the parenteral route and arrival timing of MLV respiratory vaccination but performance was not affected.