Sébastien Buczinski

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• Dr Vét, DES, MSc, Dipl ACVIM
• Professor (Full) at Université de Montréal

This study was aimed at the assessment of the reliability and performance of the Brix refractometer for the determination of colostral IgG concentrations in sheep. A total of 190 colostrum samples were collected from 150 ewes of various breeds. Out of the colostrum samples, 101 were taken at parturition, 10 at 6 h postpartum, 6 at 8 h postpartum, 2...

Implementing selective dry cow therapy as an alternative to systematic antimicrobial use at dry off on dairy farms can play a role in decreasing antimicrobial use. While on-farm bacte­riological tests have been validated to identifying intramam­mary infection (IMI), a cow-side test such as ATP luminometry could be a quick, simple, and cheap alterna...

Dairy cows commonly experience uterine bacterial infections post-calving, which can lead to reproductive tract inflamma­tion. While diagnosing uterine infection requires bacteriologi­cal culture, on-farm identification of inflammation is quicker. Moreover, antimicrobial treatment has shown positive impacts on reproductive performance of cows identi...

The objective of this study was to determine the optimal diagnostic criteria combination for purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) and endometritis (ENDO) in cows ≥100 DIM to predict the probability of pregnancy. A prospective observational study was conducted in 24 commercial Holstein herds selected by convenience. Cows ≥100 DIM identified as nonpregna...

Biosecurity practices are the cornerstone of disease prevention and control programs. In Canada, their implementation is evaluated with a Risk Assessment Questionnaire (RAQ). Association Rule Learning (ARL) – a non-supervised machine learning algorithm – is widely used in marketing for consumer segmentation based on purchase patterns. This techniqu...

In Québec, Canada, nonreplacement calves are generally sent at a young age to auction markets to be sold for veal or dairy beef production. Various clinical observations found during the calves’ journey, either at an auction market or on arrival at a calf raiser farm, have been associated with increased risk of morbidity, such as dehydration or umb...

Dairy calf welfare assessment tools focusing on the pre-weaning period have been proposed in recent research. Despite the existence of these tools, assessing the welfare and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of dairy calves remains challenging. These difficulties may stem from the complexity of assessing all dimensions of calf welfare and the...

The objective of the study was to quantify the effect of administering intrauterine cephapirin in cows ≥100 DIM affected by purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) or endometritis (ENDO) on pregnancy. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 31 conveniently selected commercial dairy herds. In these herds, cows ≥100 DIM identified as nonpregnant duri...

The bovine respiratory disease complex (BRD) is a multifactorial disease caused by various bacterial and viral pathogens. Using rapid pathogen detection techniques is helpful for tailoring therapeutic and preventive strategies in affected animals and herds. The objective of this study was to report the frequency of 10 pathogens by multiplex RT-qPCR...

The first objective of this study was to quantify the impact and disability weight (DW) of frequent diseases or syndromes of pre-weaned dairy calves using the perceptions of producers and veterinarians. The second objective was to compare the opinions of producers and veterinarians regarding the impact and DW of dairy calves’ frequent diseases and...

Each year around 150,000 surplus calves are sold at auction markets in Québec, Canada. Surplus calves (male or female not kept in the herd of origin) are sold at a young age, but these animals are at risk of receiving lower quality neonatal care than replacement heifers. Knowledge of factors associated with a higher selling price could help convinc...

Although there are several studies that described the possible participation of Mycoplasmopsis bovirhinis (formerly, Mycoplasma bovirhinis) in respiratory disease in calves worldwide, none of these evaluated the effects of concomitant infections on the shedding of this organism. Accordingly, this study evaluated the effects of simultaneous respirat...

The objectives of this herd-level prospective observational cohort study were to describe the proportion of cows with elevated prepartum nonesterified fatty acid concentrations (PropElevNEFA) in dairy herds and to assess the herd-level associations between PropElevNEFA and postpartum diseases, reproductive performance, and culling. From November 20...

The objective of this cross-sectional observational study was to describe the transport conditions of calves at the time of their arrival at the 2 major livestock auction markets in the province of Québec, Canada, and to identify characteristics that affect bedding cleanliness. A particular emphasis was placed on the transport environment of young...

Background Data on the factors affecting blood ionized calcium concentration (ciCa²⁺) and diagnostic performance of serum total calcium concentration (ctCa) measurements to detect abnormal blood iCa²⁺ status are lacking in sick adult cattle. Objective Assess the association of ciCa²⁺ with venous blood pH, plasma concentrations of chloride (cCl), s...

Salmonella Dublin and Campylobacter spp. are two foodborne pathogens of importance. A small number of studies reported that consumption of veal liver was associated with an increased risk of human illness from these two pathogens. To better characterize the risk of exposure from liver, a cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalenc...

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causal agent of paratuberculosis, a chronic, contagious, and incurable enteric disease of ruminants. An in-house IS900 PCR assay validated for MAP detection in sheep has been shown to have a higher sensitivity than a commercial PCR and fecal culture. We have now compared the performance of th...

Simple Summary Veterinary science is based on data collection at the animal or herd level. Beyond the variability in the variable in question, the data collected can depend on the device used or the person performing the measurement. Determination of these sources of variation is crucial to be able to use these measurements in practice or research....

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a common and complex disease process in calves. Subclinical disease exists and early detection can be challenging due to inconsistent or nonexistent clinical signs. Thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) is often used and has the potential to improve the identification of respiratory diseases. Combining systematic TUS wi...

The objective of this study was to describe the cleaning practices currently used for preweaning calves on dairy farms in Quebec, Canada. In addition, the contamination of feeding equipment for preweaned calves was described using ATP luminometry (expressed as relative light units (RLU)), visual assessment and bacteriological analysis. A questionna...

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to standardize a reliable and repeatable swabbing technique using ATP luminometry (light emission proportional to the amount of ATP with result provided in relative light units [RLU]) to describe the cleanliness of various feeding equipment used for preweaning calves in dairy farms. A total of 7 Québe...

Background Although thoracic auscultation (AUSC) in calves is quick and easy to perform, the definition of lung sounds is highly variable and leads to poor to moderate accuracy in diagnosing bronchopneumonia (BP). Hypothesis/Objectives Evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of an AUSC scoring system based on a standard lung sound nomenclature at differe...

Simple Summary Abomasal lesions are considered to be an important health issue in cattle, especially in milk-fed (or white) veal calves. Using a reliable scoring system to describe abomasal lesions can help in determining the possible risk factors in order to prevent this problem. The aim of this study was to determine the inter-rater reliability o...

This study evaluated the associations between estimated distance from farms' locations to auction markets, and health indicators of surplus dairy calves sold during summer 2019 and winter 2020 in Québec, Canada. A total of 3,610 animals from 1,331 different farms were used in this cross-sectional cohort study. Geographic coordinates (latitude and l...

Simple Summary Severe clinical mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland with systemic clinical signs. It is a frequent and highly fatal disease of dairy cattle worldwide. Nomograms are practical tools that help predict a specific issue based on statistical models. Here, we developed nomograms for prediction of death or culling related with...

Diagnostic tests are performed daily by bovine practitioners at the individual and population level. At the individual level, they help not only for making a diagnosis, but can also serve to rule in or rule out a specific condition, monitor treatment response, establish a prognosis, or to determine infection status. Performing an individual diagnos...

Inadequate transfer of passive immunity (ITPI) is major risk for mortality, morbidity and decreased growth performance in dairy and beef calves. Refractometry method is used in estimating ITPI in dairy and beef calves but studies evaluating refractometers for Simmental dairy calves are limited. The objectives of this study were determining the accu...

Background Assessing the inadequate transfer of passive immunity (ITPI) in beef calves is crucial because calves with ITPI are at high risk for morbidity and mortality. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of digital Brix (D-BRIX) and digital serum total protein (D-STP) refractometers to estimate different passive immunity...

Active infectious bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is an infection of the airways that needs to be diagnosed correctly so that appropriate treatment can be initiated. The simplest and most practical test to detect active BRD in dairy calves raised for veal is the detection and interpretation of clinical signs by producers or technicians. However, t...

The objective of the present study was to quantify the relationships between prepartum nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations and the development of subsequent diseases or culling and to identify the optimal thresholds allowing identification of animals at high risk of developing postpartum diseases or being culled. A total of 1,299 Holstei...

Inadequate transfer of passive immunity (ITPI) in newborn dairy calves remains an important risk factor for mortality and morbidity. Most available studies are focused on calves delivered and raised on the same farms. This setting is far different from calves transported and commingled from different farms to be raised as veal or for other purposes...

1.Objectives: Commingled dairy calves undergo different health problems which lead to a high antimicrobial treatment rate specially in calves with inadequate transfer of passive immunity (ITPI). The aim was to describe, in multi-source commingled dairy calves raised for veal or other purposes, the association between ITPI and important health outco...

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a multifactorial disease which causes short- and long-term negative effects. Early detection is crucial for a prompt response to therapy, as well as to decrease mortality risk. Clinical scoring systems have been developed mostly in North America for screening calves at risk or suspected of having BRD, and these t...

Multiple treatments for hyperketonemia have been studied, and although propylene glycol has been the most constantly reported as successful in mitigating the effects of this condition, a recent study showed that a subpopulation of cows affected by hyperketonemia and hypoglycemia could benefit from a combined treatment of propylene glycol and insuli...

Calves born on Eastern Canadian dairy farms that are not kept in the herds are traditionally sold through auction markets and are raised for meat purposes such as veal calves. Since February 2020, a new Canadian federal regulation has forbidden calves <9 d old to be sold through auction markets. However, in the absence of a real-time birth registry...

The objective of this study was to describe the proportion of enteric and respiratory pathogens and diseases in unvaccinated pre-weaned dairy heifers, in their first 2 weeks of life (exam 1), and at 4- to 8-weeks old (exam 2). Heifers from 20 dairy herds were examined and sampled twice for respiratory and enteric pathogens and diseases. Respiratory...

The sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of three diagnostic tests for the detection of Campylobacter fetus venerealis (Cfv) using field samples were estimated using a Bayesian latent class model (BLCM), accounting for the absence of a gold standard. The tests included in this study were direct immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT), polymerase c...

Clinical scores are commonly used for cattle. They generally contain a mix of categorical and numerical variables that need to be assessed by scorers, such as farmers, animal caretakers, scientists, and veterinarians. This article examines the key concepts that need to be accounted for when developing the test for optimal outcomes. First, the targe...

The objective of this observational cross-sectional study was to describe the cleanliness of various equipment used for colostrum harvest and calf feeding procedures on dairy farms in Québec, Canada. The study was performed on 42 commercial dairy herds also enrolled in another study aiming to determine the transfer of passive immunity over a 14-mo...

The objectives of this retrospective analysis were to: 1) estimate the diagnostic sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of bacterial culture of environmental samples for determining Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infection status in Québec dairies, using a Bayesian Latent Class Model (BLCM); and 2) determine the association betwe...

The objective of this study was to quantify the reproductive performance of 4 reinsemination strategies in cows diagnosed nonpregnant using corpus luteum color flow Doppler ultrasonography on d 21 after last insemination. A total of 2,140 color flow Doppler ultrasonography exams from 845 Holstein cows from 10 commercial dairy herds were used in thi...

In dairy calves raised for veal, typical clinical signs of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) are ocular discharge, nasal discharge, ear droop or head tilt, abnormal respiration , cough, and increased rectal temperature. Despite the existence of several clinical scoring systems, there are few studies on the variability of human recognition of individ...

The main objective of this study was to quantify the effect of pegbovigrastim (PEG) as an adjunct therapy for naturally occurring severe mastitis cases on survival, intramammary bacteriological cure, and subsequent milk production. A double-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted on a single commercial dairy farm. During the study period...

The sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of three diagnostic tests for the detection of Campylobacter fetus venerealis (Cfv) using field samples were estimated using a Bayesian latent class model (BLCM), accounting for the absence of a gold standard. The tests were direct immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), an...

The bacterium Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) can infect a wide range of animals, most notably ruminants where it causes mainly asymptomatic infections and, when clinical, it is associated with reproductive disorders such as abortion. It is also the etiological agent of Q fever in humans, a zoonosis of increasingly important public health concern....

Although future production of dairy goats is influenced by kid-rearing practices, little is known regarding which practices maximize kid growth, welfare, and future production success. The objectives of this survey study were to (1) identify common rearing practices of Canadian commercial dairy goat farms and evaluate their associations with 6 farm...

Background The best test between thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) and thoracic radiography (TR) or the best combination of tests (series or parallel) to detect active infectious bronchopneumonia (BP) in hospitalized dairy calves remains unknown. Hypothesis/Objectives To estimate performances of TUS and TR to detect active BP in hospitalized dairy ca...

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is one of the most common calfhood diseases in dairy cattle. Unfortunately, published data on the short- and long-term effects of calfhood BRD on health and performance are scarce and, when available, often conflicting and uncertain. The objective of this study was therefore to review the scientific literature on th...

Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRD) is a worldwide multifactorial infectious disease. Antimicrobials are commonly used for treating BRD because bacteria are often involved. The clinical diagnosis of BRD is a challenge, especially in adult dairy cows, where information on this syndrome is scant. Having a definition based on consistent and relia...

This study estimates the accuracy of the focused lung ultrasound (FLUS) compared with systematic thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) as the reference test for diagnosing pneumonia in pre- and postweaned dairy calves. One hundred thirty-five Holstein Friesian calves, aged between 1 to 6 mo were enrolled and were kept in the same pen with one or more anim...

Feeding high-quality colostrum is essential for calf health and future productivity. Therefore, accurate assessment of colostrum quality is a key component of dairy farm management plans. Direct and indirect methods are available for assessment of colostrum quality; however, the indirect methods are rapid, inexpensive , and can be performed under f...

The objective of this study was to identify the calf-level colostrum management practices associated with an adequate transfer of passive immunity (TPI; defined as serum Brix refractance ≥8.4% in the first week of life) in small-sized herds. A total of 818 calves from 61 commercial Holstein dairy farms were included in this observational cross-sect...

Dairy calves not kept for replacement are sold at young age in Québec auction markets for white and grain-fed veal calf production. The province of Québec produces 80% of the Canadian veal meat, but little information is available on the factors associated with the calves' price per crude weight (Can$/kg; Can$1 = US$0.78 at time of writing). The ch...

Inadequate transfer of passive immunity (TPI) is associated with increased risk for calfhood disease and increased risk of mortality and morbidity. Accurately diagnosing calves and herds with inadequate TPI is of primary importance and brix (BRIX) or classical refractometer (REF) devices are more practical for this purpose than measuring the serum...

The objective of this study was to identify herd-level colostrum management factors associated with the adequate transfer of passive immunity (TPI; defined as serum Brix refractance ≥8.4% in the first week of life). A total of 59 commercial Holstein dairy farms were included in this observational cross-sectional study. In every participating herd,...

The objective of this study was to quantify the efficacy of a second intrauterine cephapirin treatment administered 14 d after the initial one on subsequent reproductive performance of postpartum dairy cows affected by purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) or endometritis (ENDO). In total, 4,140 Holstein cows from 30 commercial herds were enrolled in a...

The objective of this study was to validate the diagnostic accuracy of the Petrifilm culture system (3M, St. Paul, MN) for identifying colostrum with excessive bacterial contamination. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2015 and February 2016. Two colostrum aliquots were collected during the first meal of 332 calve...

Le Québec produit 80% des veaux lourds au Canada. Les élevages de veaux lourds présentent: un taux de mortalité de 8-10% et un taux de morbidité jusqu'à 60%. L'objectif de l'étude était l'évaluation des caractéristiques et de la santé des veaux vendus lors de la vente aux encans. Deux visites aux encans de Saint-Hyacinthe et de Saint Isidore ont ét...

Infectious bronchopneumonia is a lower respiratory tract disease with major economic consequences in dairy calves. Thoracic radiography (TR) and thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) are two imaging diagnostic procedures available in bovine medicine for identifying thoracic lesions. However, no study has investigated whether one of these tests is superior...

Background Use of different analyzers to measure electrolytes in the same horse can lead to different interpretation of acid‐base balance when using the simplified strong ion difference (sSID) approach. Objective Investigate the level of agreement between 2 analyzers in determining electrolytes concentrations, sSID variables, and acid‐base disorde...

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex is a worldwide health problem in cattle and is a major reason for antimicrobial use in young cattle. Several challenges may explain why it is difficult to make progress in the management of this disease. This article defines the limitation of BRD complex nomenclature, which may not easily distinguish upper v...

When it is desired to identify infectious agents involved in an outbreak of bovine respiratory disease, a variety of possible sampling methods may be used. For field use, the deep nasopharyngeal swab, transtracheal wash, and nonendoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage are most feasible. At present, bacterial culture and polymerase chain reaction testing a...

Background Data on the performance of a glucometer in calves with different diseases are currently lacking. Objective The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability of a point of care glucometer in calves affected by different diseases relative to a traditional bench‐top autoanalyzer. Animals One hundred ninety‐six calves wit...

Background Spinal cord dysfunction/compression and ataxia are common in horses. Presumptive diagnosis is most commonly based on neurological examination and cervical radiography, but the interest into the diagnostic value of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with recording of magnetic motor evoked potentials has increased. The problem for the...

Digital dermatitis (DD) is a worldwide infectious disease of cattle that causes lameness, discomfort, and economic losses. The reference standard test to diagnose DD is visual observation in a trimming chute, which cannot be practically performed daily on dairy farms. Moreover, some lesion misclassification may occur using this standard diagnostic...

Infection of the oviduct by an infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in laying hens has been associated with the false layer syndrome. Because the diagnostic procedure for the detection of cystic oviducts by postmortem examinations in IBV-positive replacement pullet flocks could involve the unnecessary sacrifice of numerous healthy pullets without repr...

Kid rearing is the foundation of goat milk production, yet little is known about how to raise replacement does efficiently to make healthy and productive dairy animals. This study aimed to identify the common rearing practices of Canadian commercial dairy goat farms (≥40 goats/farm), from birth to weaning, and to determine best management practices...

Dairy calves are at risk of being stressed when transported during the first week of life. A new Canadian federal rule will forbid transportation of calves younger than 9 d old to auction market. However, in the absence of reliable information to determine birth date, other indirect methods would be of interest. This study aimed to determine the pr...

Paratuberculosis is a worldwide infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP). Various ruminant species can be affected by the disease, and the diagnosis of the disease is challenging in the absence of a gold standard test. The aim of this systematic review protocol is to determine the accuracy of the direct and indir...

The main objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of corpus luteum color flow Doppler ultrasonography (CLCFDU) to diagnose nonpregnant dairy cows 21 d after insemination. A secondary objective was to determine the accuracy of other indirect tests such as corpus luteum size and progesteronemia. Data from 1,632 Holstein cows (10 commerci...

The use of a brix refractometer on dairy farms for colostrum management is becoming more common. This cow-side test can indirectly assess colostrum immunological quality and provide inputs to make decisions regarding colostrum feeding to calves. Achieving a high prevalence of transfer of passive immunity (TPI) success depends on factors such as col...

Severity of lung lesions quantified by thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) at time of bronchopneumonia (BP) diagnosis predicted death among feedlot steers non-treated for this condition. Further research is now needed to confirm that lung lesions detected by TUS can be associated with negative outcomes in cattle with BP that were subsequently treated fo...

The detection of lung lesions in dairy calves is commonly achieved using thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) and radiography (TR). However, it remains unclear from the literature if one diagnostic procedure is superior to another. The main objective of this study was therefore to evaluate the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of TUS and TR to detect...

This study aimed to explore the dynamics of lung consolidation in preweaned calves and the association between ultrasonographic findings and prognosis (defined as the time until first consolidation occurrence during the preweaning period) and average daily gain. Two dairy herds were visited weekly for 9 weeks. The preweaned dairy heifers were: exam...

This study aimed to explore the dynamics of lung consolidation in preweaned calves and the association between ultrasonographic findings and prognosis (defined as the time until first consolidation occurrence during the preweaning period) and average daily gain. Two dairy herds were visited weekly for 9 weeks. The preweaned dairy heifers were: exam...

In practice, veterinary surgeons frequently rely on lung auscultation as a confirmation test for pneumonia. To what extent diagnostic accuracy of lung auscultation varies between different practitioners is currently unknown. In this diagnostic test study, 49 Dutch veterinarians each auscultated between 8 and 10 calves, and communicated whether they...

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map) is the etiological agent of paratuberculosis of domestic and wild ruminants. Map strains are segregated into 2 main groups or strain types referred to as sheep (S) type and cattle (C) type. Few small ruminant Map strains have been genetically characterized to date. The present study was undertak...

The veal calf industry in Québec depends on young calves' availability at auction. Most of these calves come from dairy farms. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the effect of clinical anomalies and other calf characteristics on their sale price. A total of 3,820 calves from 5 different auctions were included in this observation...

Background Severity of lung lesions quantified by thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) at time of bronchopneumonia (BP) diagnosis predicted death among steers not treated for this condition. Further research is needed to confirm that lung lesions detected by TUS can be associated with negative outcomes in cattle with BP that subsequently were treated. O...

Les bronchopneumonies des jeunes bovins sont une des maladies la plus prévalente dans les élevages bovins et dont le diagnostic reste encore trop souvent erroné. L’échographie thoracique est une technique facile à réaliser à la ferme, rapide et accessible à tous les vétérinaires bovins. Parmi les différentes lésions visibles, la profondeur de conso...

Fig S3 Distribution of maximal area of lung consolidation in feedlot cattle diagnosed with BP (n = 144).

Table S2 Effects of maximal depth and maximal area of lung consolidation at first BP diagnosis on risk of BP relapse. Only cattle for which both thoracic sides were examined by TUS were included (n = 101).

Fig S1 Flow diagram of cattle enrolled in the study.

Fig S2 Distribution of maximal depth of lung consolidation in feedlot cattle diagnosed with BP (n = 144).