Profiling Mannheimia haemolytica Infection in Dairy Calves Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) and Multivariate Analysis (MVA)

Authors

• Mariana Santos-Rivera, Mississippi State University
• Amelia Woolums, Mississippi State University
• Merrilee Thoresen, Mississippi State University
• Ellianna Blair, Mississippi State University
• Victoria Jefferson, Mississippi State University
• Florencia Meyer, Mississippi State University
• Carrie K. Vance, Mississippi State University

ORCID

CVance: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8466-6077

MSU Affiliation

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology; College of Veterinary Medicine; Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine

Creation Date

2026-10-30

Abstract

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) linked with Mannheimia haemolytica is the principal cause of pneumonia in cattle. Diagnosis of BRD traditionally relies on visual assessment, which can be untimely, insensitive, and nonspecific leading to inadequate treatment and further spread of disease. Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) is a rapid acquisition vibrational spectroscopy that can profile changes in biofluids, and when used in combination with multivariate analysis, has potential for disease diagnosis. This study characterizes the NIR spectral profile of blood plasma from dairy calves infected with M. haemolytica and validates the spectral biochemistry using standardized clinical and hematological reference parameters. Blood samples were collected for four days prior to (baseline), and 23 days after, a controlled intrabronchial challenge. NIR spectral profiles of blood plasma discriminated and predicted Baseline and Infected states of animal disease progression with accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity ≥ 90% using PCA–LDA models. These results show that physiological and biochemical changes occurring in the bloodstream of dairy calves during M. haemolytica infection are reflected in the NIR spectral profiles, demonstrating the potential of NIRS as a diagnostic and monitoring tool of BRD over time.

Publication Date

1-14-2021

Publication Title

Scientific Reports

Publisher

Nature Research

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Rights

© The Author(s) 2021

Recommended Citation

Santos-Rivera, M., Woolums, A., Thoresen, M. et al. Profiling Mannheimia haemolytica infection in dairy calves using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and multivariate analysis (MVA). Sci Rep 11, 1392 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81032-x