The pathophysiology of bronchopneumonia (BP) is such that peripheral airways fill with neutrophilic exudate, which results in pulmonary consolidation and atelectasis. This exudate increases the proportion of neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF), with proportions ranging from 10% to 20% suggestive of BP. Pulmonary ultrasonography (US), which differentiates between aerated and nonaerated lung tissue, has good sensitivity (Se = 85%) and specificity (Sp = 98%) for detection of BP in clinically ill calves and might be useful for diagnosis of subclinical BP. The purpose of this study was to compare thoracic US with BALF as a means to diagnose subclinical BP in dairy calves, with gross postmortem examination used as the gold standard.
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