Bovine Respiratory Disease: Epidemiological Drivers, Transmission Dynamics, and Economic Implications in Beef Production Systems

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains one of the most consequential health and economic challenges in U.S. beef production, particularly within integrated systems where microbial, environmental, and management factors intersect. This review synthesizes contemporary epidemiological insights, emphasizing BRD’s multifactorial pathogenesis driven by dynamic host–pathogen–environment interactions involving agents such as Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, and Mycoplasma bovis, alongside stressors from transportation, weaning, and commingling. BRD imposes annual losses exceeding two billion dollars through diminished feed efficiency, reduced carcass yield, increased treatment costs, and mortality. Despite progress in vaccination, biosecurity, and therapeutic interventions, BRD persists due to diagnostic subjectivity and limitations of traditional control measures. The review underscores emerging innovations, including precision livestock technologies, AI-enabled surveillance, and metabolomic biomarkers as transformative tools for early detection and targeted mitigation, while noting barriers related to cost, data harmonization, and scalability. The rising threat of antimicrobial resistance further highlights the need for stewardship frameworks that balance therapeutic effectiveness and public health priorities. Additionally, the paper analyzes policy and economic considerations, arguing for coordinated efforts among producers, veterinarians, researchers, and regulators. BRD is reframed as a systems-level challenge requiring integrated scientific, operational, and regulatory strategies to enhance resilience and sustainability across U.S. beef production.