VCM 694: Respiratory Health in Livestock: A Systems-Based Approach

Module 1:

• Understanding the Impact of Respiratory Disease on Food Production Systems
• Applying a Holistic View To Disease Management
• Normal Function of the Lung and Alterations with Disease
• Assessing Changes in the Host to Measure Disease
• Pathogens and Their Interrelationships that Lead to Infectious Respiratory Disease
• Intervention Strategies to Address Infectious Respiratory Disease
• Understanding Disease at the Herd Level

Module 2:

• Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of the Respiratory Tract
• Cells of the Respiratory Tract
• Development of the Respiratory System
• How Does Air Reach the Lungs?
• Anatomy and Physiology of Pulmonary Circulation
• Mechanisms of Hypoxemia
• How are Gases Transported to the Tissues?
• How are Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Exchanged?
• How are Breathing and Respiration Controlled?
• How is the Respiratory System Physically Protected from Injurious Agents? (Coughing and Sneezing)
• How is the Lung Protected from Pathogen Challenges? (Innate and Adaptive Immune Defense)
• How Particles are Managed by the Respiratory Tract
• What Other Functions do the Lungs Perform?
• Implications of Lung Structure and Function for Health Management

Module 3:

• Responses of the Airways and Lungs to Disease and Damage
• Changes of Airway and Lung Pathology Over Time
• The Use of Case Definitions in Managing Respiratory Disease
• Detection of Respiratory Disease by Animal Observation
• Detection of Respiratory Disease by Examination of Head and Neck
• Detection of Respiratory Disease by Examination of Thorax
• Evaluating Common Clinical Signs of Respiratory Disease

Module 4:

• Use of the Stethoscope in Detecting and Quantifying Respiratory Disease
• Using Additional Diagnostics to Help Manage Respiratory Disease
• Bovine Thoracic Ultrasound
• Post Mortem Examination of the Respiratory Tract
• The Role of Prognostics in Managing Respiratory Disease
• Evaluation of Populations for Respiratory Disease (Cumulative Case Definitions)

Module 5:

• It’s Not Just One Bug
• Mechanisms of Viral Pathogenesis
• Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogenesis
• Why Do Certain Pathogens Cause Certain Pathologies at Certain Locations?
• Airway Pathogens: Viruses
• Airway Pathogens: Bacteria
• Airway Pathogens: Mycoplasma
• Lung Parenchyma Pathogens: Swine Viruses
• Bovine Respiratory Pathogens: Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus
• Lung Parenchyma Pathogens: Bacteria
• Pathogens of the Respiratory Tract: Poultry
• Pathogens of the Respiratory Tract: Small Ruminants
• Unraveling the Pathogens of the Host Respiratory Tract: An Overview of Diagnostic Techniques
• Unraveling the Pathogens of the Host Respiratory Tract: Selection of Diagnostic Tests
• Unraveling the Pathogens of the Host Respiratory Tract – New Technologies

Module 6:

• Principles of Therapeutic Management of Infectious Respiratory Disease
• The Necessity of Immunity in Managing Infectious Disease Outbreaks
• The History and Development of Antimicrobials for Use in Food Animal Production Medicine
• Pharmacological Principles of Antimicrobials
• Classification of Antimicrobials
• The Application of Case Definitions in Respiratory Disease Therapeutics (Early Detection)
• Practical Approaches to Population-Level Therapeutics in Respiratory Disease Outbreaks
• Antimicrobial and Sustainable Food Production
• Adjunct Therapy in Respiratory Disease
• The Future of Therapeutics in Infectious Disease Management

Module 7:

• An Overview of Host Homeostasis and the Impact of Stress
• Maintaining Mucosal Health and Systemic Immunity (Common Mucosal Immune System)
• The Immune–Pathogen Balance: Housing and Rearing Environment (Pasture)
• The Immune–Pathogen Balance: Housing and Rearing Environment (Calf Pens)
• The Immune–Pathogen Balance: Housing and Rearing Environment (Dairy Barn)
• The Immune–Pathogen Balance: Housing and Rearing Environment Across the Ages
• The Immune-Pathogen Balance: Rearing System Stressors (Temperature/Ventilation)
• The Immune-Pathogen Balance: Rearing System Stressors (Transport/Mixing/Handling)

Module 8:

• Effective Stockmanship
• The Immune–Pathogen Balance: Cattle Handling and Processing
• The Immune–Pathogen Balance: Weaning
• The Immune–Pathogen Balance: The Role of Maternal Immunity
• The Immune–Pathogen Balance: Fundamentals of Immunization
• The Immune–Pathogen Balance: Vaccine Application in Populations
• The Immune–Pathogen Balance: Controlling Exposure to Pathogens