Real-time pathologist-assisted field postmortem examinations of beef cattle

Area of Science:

• Veterinary pathology
• Food animal health
• Diagnostic services

Background:

• Postmortem examinations are vital for diagnosing livestock diseases, informing herd management and ensuring food safety.
• On-farm field postmortems by veterinarians (rVets) are common but can have lower diagnostic success rates.
• Limited access to veterinary diagnostic laboratories necessitates improved field diagnostic methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of real-time pathologist-assisted field postmortem examination (rtPAP) in improving diagnostic accuracy for beef cattle.
• To assess the perceived benefits and utility of rtPAP services for referring veterinarians (rVets).

Main Methods:

• A proof-of-concept study involving beef cattle rVets receiving real-time telepathology assistance from pathologists during field postmortems.
• Comparison of diagnostic success rates between rtPAP-assisted and unassisted field postmortem examinations.

Main Results:

• rtPAPs significantly improved the success rate of achieving a final diagnosis compared to unassisted field postmortems.
• Both rVets and pathologists reported benefits from the rtPAP service.
• Participating rVets expressed willingness to use rtPAP services in the future.

Conclusions:

• rtPAP is a valuable tool for enhancing the diagnosis of beef cattle diseases.
• Telepathology services can effectively support food animal veterinarians and producers, improving animal health outcomes.
• Implementing rtPAP services can lead to better-informed herd management and treatment decisions.