Respiratory viruses identified in western Canadian beef cattle by metagenomic sequencing and their association with bovine respiratory disease

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) causes considerable economic losses in North America. The pathogenesis involves interactions between bacteria, viruses, environment and management factors. Primary viral infection can increase the risk of secondary fatal bacterial infection. The objective of this study was to use metagenomic sequencing to characterize the respiratory viromes of paired nasal swabs and tracheal washes from western Canadian feedlot cattle, with or without BRD. A total of 116 cattle (116 nasal swabs and 116 tracheal washes) were analysed. The presence of influenza D virus (IDV), bovine rhinitis A virus (BRAV), bovine rhinitis B virus (BRBV), bovine coronavirus (BCV) and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) was associated with BRD. Agreement between identification of viruses in nasal swabs and tracheal washes was generally weak, indicating that sampling location may affect detection of infection. This study reported several viruses for the first time in Canada and provides a basis for further studies investigating candidate viruses important to the prevention of BRD.