Understanding contagious transmission of Mannheimia haemolytica in feedlot calves by leveraging whole genome sequencing of a unique isolate collection

The goal of this project is to evaluate the contagious spread of Mannheimia haemolytica (Mh) between cattle in a feedlot set­ting, by utilizing whole-genome sequencing to analyze genetic relationships of Mh between contiguous pens of cattle. The overall objective for this research is to inform best practices for management of respiratory disease in high-risk feedlot calves by better understanding the relative contribution of changes in respiratory bacteria and antimicrobial effectiveness in individ­ual calves following metaphylaxis as compared to evidence for contagious transmission of respiratory bacteria and antimicro­bial resistance within and between pens of calves.