Induced pasteurellosis and pulmonary vascular adrenoceptor function in bull calves

Effects of Pasteurella haemolytica inoculation on pulmonary vascular function were studied in 5 conscious standing Jersey bull calves. Instruments were implanted in each calf to measure pulmonary arterial, pulmonary arterial wedge, left atrial, and systemic arterial pressures and cardiac output. Each calf was challenge exposed with 5 sequential 3-minute infusions of isoproterenol (a beta agonist) or phenylephrine (an alpha agonist) for maximal doses of 1.8 micrograms of isoproterenol or 2.3 micrograms of phenylephrine/kg of body weight/min. The calf was allowed 1 hour to recover, was anesthesized, and administered a 20-ml intratracheal infusion of live P haemolytica (10(6) colony-forming units/ml) followed by a 20-ml saline flush. The pulmonary hemodynamic response to isoproterenol and phenylephrine was examined again in each calf 4 days later. Calves developed a pneumonic pasteurellosis involving 26 to 43% of the lungs. There was a significantly (P less than 0.05) reduced resistance in the pulmonary arterial compartment after inoculation. Isoproterenol infusion decreased resistance in the pulmonary arterial, pulmonary venous, and systemic vascular compartments. The decrease in the pulmonary venous compartment in response to isoproterenol was significantly (P = 0.01) smaller after P haemolytica inoculation. After administration of 1.8 micrograms of isoproterenol/kg/min, resistance in the pulmonary venous compartment was 0.90 +/- 0.22 (mean +/- SD) before and 1.25 +/- 0.39 after Pasteurella inoculation. Phenylephrine resulted in an increase in pulmonary arterial, pulmonary venous, and systemic vascular compartments. There was a mild (P = 0.08) decrease in the pulmonary arterial compartment response to phenylephrine. Seemingly, Pasteurella inoculation blunted beta-receptor function in the pulmonary vascular bed, mainly in the veins, contributing to edema.