[vetvetdoug]

Ahh, a topic I know a little about. Shipping fever is caused by viruses and bacteria. Sometimes both are needed to cause disease. Coronaviruses and Herpesviruses in concert with Pastuerella and Haemophilus spp. bacteria. I worked on a research project where we followed a Movar 33/63 type herpesvirus in cattle shipped from East Tennessee to the feedlots in North Texas. The more stressed the cattle got, the more pathogenic the viruses and bacteria became (abridged version). Shipping fever is a catch all term for a disease caught by cattle when confined with others and are being significantly stressed.

[Domestic Church]

The stress factor hasn't been addressed yet with SARS...thanks for bringing it up.