Industry concerns with liver abscesses in finishing cattle

The U.S. beef industry has a renewed interest in trying to understand what causes the development of liver abscesses in cattle and their subsequent effect on the growth performance of cattle raised for beef. In a recent issue of the Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice journal, liver abscesses in cattle were reviewed. Liver abscesses are not a new problem for the beef industry and have been associated with feeding cattle primarily grain-based diets dating back to the 1930’s. Liver abscess prevalence rate varies considerably by region, presumably due to different…