Kansas State University with Beef Cattle Institute (BCI) and Butterfly Network Collaborate in Research on Lung Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) for Chute-side Decision Making to Manage Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD).
BRD is the number one cause of mortality and morbidity in cattle around the world. New research done by BCI on Butterfly’s Ultrasound-on-ChipTM iQ+ Vet technology enables cattle operations all over the world to utilize this data in real time, creating a new decision making process to diagnose and manage BRD.
Burlington, MA., NEW YORK, NY, and Manhattan, KS – Butterfly Network, Inc. (NYSE: BFLY), a digital health company transforming care with handheld, whole-body ultrasound, and Kansas State University with BCI announce results to a comprehensive research project around using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in chute-side decision making for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) in feedlot cattle. The research project and proof of concept prior to the study were all done with the Butterfly iQ+ Vet. The ultrasound-on-chip technology enables the research to be applied in real life conditions making this research applicable to cattle operations all over the world.
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most frequent and economically impactful disease of post-weaned beef cattle. When considering all direct and indirect economic losses, on top of increased mortality, BRD poses substantial economic burdens to the industry, estimated at $800 million to $900 million annually. (Chirase and Greene, 2000). Another more recent study estimated that BRD continues to be the most significant production problem facing the beef industry, accounting for the majority of morbidity, mortality, and production losses in feedlots with estimated annual economic losses in excess of $2 billion (Powell, 2013).
One of the major challenges is confirming accurate diagnoses in the field as multiple syndromes can cause similar clinical signs of disease in cattle. Multiple pathogens contribute to BRD development, and differentiating BRD from other pulmonary syndromes is important in selecting appropriate therapy. Determining the extent of disease progression influences animal management decisions. BRD occurs frequently and improved ability to accurately evaluate cattle disease states improves antimicrobial stewardship and animal welfare management.
Advancements in diagnostic and treatment technologies are essential for promoting animal welfare, enhancing productivity, and ensuring the economic sustainability of cattle production. For commercial use technologies need to have the ability for implementation without unnecessary restrictions on operational flow by providing real-time results and the ability to work in a variety of cattle handling environments.
Several studies were conducted focusing on enhancing BRD diagnostic and prognostic accuracy in an effort to improve management practices for feedlot cattle, emphasizing animal welfare and antimicrobial stewardship. An initial study showed promising results using point of care ultrasound (POCUS) to distinguish BRD (bronchopneumonia) from another type of pulmonary disease (interstitial pneumonia). Increased diagnostic precision chuteside would allow customization of therapeutic program to match the specific disease syndrome. Differentiating interstitial pneumonia from other respiratory illnesses is important due to the influence on treatment strategies and management decisions. Antimicrobial therapy is common in bronchopneumonia cases due to their infectious nature, whereas interstitial pneumonia typically requires anti-inflammatory or supportive treatments to address the underlying pathogenic mechanisms. (Woolums, 2015)
“Accurately identifying disease in cattle is challenging, and chuteside tools to augment health assessments can be valuable to animal health caretakers. More precise estimates of the animal’s disease status can lead to better therapeutic and management decisions. The ability to gain real-time insights at the time of treatment is a great tool for cattle producers and veterinarians.” said Dr. Brad White,
Two studies were completed evaluating the prognostic value of POCUS in cattle treated for respiratory disease. In one study, several ultrasound parameters such as B-line count, lung consolidation, B-Line area, and moth sign presence leading to an ultrasound lung score were associated with the likelihood of treatment failure in cattle at the initial time of treatment for BRD. This information is valuable as alternative therapies could be evaluated in animals more likely to be a treatment failure. In a study evaluating animals with multiple previous treatments, ultrasound parameters like B-Line, B-line area, and presence of moth sign were associated with the likelihood of an animal being non-recoverable. These results could be used to distinguish cattle that may need to be managed differently to provide optimum care. The substantial economic impact of chronically ill cattle shows the need for effective management, making the use of chuteside diagnostic tools crucial for improving prognosis and treatment decisions. (Feitoza, L., et al, 2024)
The research underscores the importance of precise chute-side diagnostics in enhancing prognostic accuracy, improving animal welfare, and supporting antimicrobial stewardship. Initial findings have been presented at several national meetings and final results are in process of submission to peer-reviewed journals.
“The use of the Butterfly iQ+ Vet in the feedlot and cattle care setting demonstrates Butterfly’s commitment to extending our powerful Ultrasound-on-Chip™ technology into more markets where innovation is needed,” said Jenna Mutch, Vice President, Veterinary of Butterfly Network. “With iQ+ Vet, we move outside of our core point-of-care veterinary ultrasound market to better address the care setting for the cattle market, which has long awaited a more affordable, user friendly, durable, and fast solution. The use of traditional piezo-electric crystal is limited by tempertaure, environment, speed, durability, and the need to clip and use gel . We listened to the unique needs of our cattle customers, did proof of concept testing, and then put the iQ+ Vet to the test in the 2 studies successfully scanning and aquiring images and cine clips of over 1200 head of cattle in over 24 hours worth of live scanning time. ”
Butterfly iQ+ Vet is the world’s only single probe, whole-body, multi-species imaging solution. The iQ+ Vet is the second-generation of Butterfly’s veterinary ultrasound device and brings sharper imaging, a new procedural guidance tool, and hardware improvements that make the solution more powerful, versatile, and easy-to-use on all species in the environment needed to successfully diagnose.
Veterinarians, producers, and educators can request more information about Butterfly iQ+ Vet at: vet.butterflynetwork.com.
Learn more about the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University by visiting: The Beef Cattle Institute (ksubci.org)
About Butterfly Network
Founded by Dr. Jonathan Rothberg in 2011 and listed on the NYSE through a merger with Longview Acquisition Corp (NYSE: BFLY), Butterfly Network is the creator of the world's most advanced handheld, single-probe, whole-body veterinary ultrasound system, Butterfly iQ+ Vet. Butterfly’s mission is to enable universal access to superior medical imaging, and part of that mission is to enable the scanning of every animal at each veterinary visit. Through its proprietary Ultrasound-on-ChipTM technology, Butterfly is paving the way for earlier detection and remote management of health conditions around the world. The Butterfly iQ+ Vet can be purchased online by veterinary professionals in approved countries at the store or by contacting sales.
About Beef Cattle Institute (BCI)
The Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University utilizes collaborative multidisciplinary expertise to promote successful beef production through the discovery and delivery of actionable information and innovative decision support tools.
Butterfly Contact
Jenna Mutch
Vice President, Veterinary
jmutch@butterflynetwork.com
530-400-3638
BCI Contact
Brad J. White, DVM, MS
Director Beef Cattle Institute
Kansas State University | Mosier Hall: P-212| Manhattan, KS 66506
bwhite@vet.k-state.edu | Office: 785.532.4243