Australian feedlots examine probiotic BRD therapy

Matt Bekker, Technical Manager, Ruminants, AUS & NZ

AUSTRALIAN feedlots have been quick to explore the role of a probiotic that has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence and severity of Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) in grainfed cattle.

According to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), BRD is responsible for between 50% to 90% of all feedlot deaths worldwide, with 18.2 % of all Australian lot fed animals found to suffer from at least sub-clinical disease.

Known for decades as ‘shipping fever’, BRD costs the industry an estimated to $60 million in lost production and treatment costs each year.

Common triggers shown to create an opportunity for BRD to occur include changes in the animal’s environment, such as weaning, handling, transport, dehydration, ration changes, social mingling (boxed sale lots) and poor weather conditions.

Viral infections associated with BRD include Bovine Herpesvirus 1 (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis), Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus, Parainfluenza 3 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Bacterial infections include Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida.

ProTernative is a strain-specific live yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCMI-1079)
that optimises gut health and boosts immunity in ruminants.

The yeast is also used extensively in human healthcare to restore native microflora populations in the gut after antibiotic treatment.

Its mode of action and beneficial effects have been documented in more than 600 scientific publications throughout the world.

Lallemand Technical Manager – Ruminants, Matt Bekker, says ProTernative is now being trialled in at least 10 Australian feedlots with many more in active consultation following the publication of the results of a large-scale commercial trial conducted earlier this year.

“These feedlots have a combined capacity greater than 100,000 head and range from some of the largest operators in Australia to small family-owned operations,” he says.

“This inquiry follows directly from the outstanding results that Stockyard reported in 2025.”

Stockyard examined the impact of ProTernative upon the incidence and severity of BRD in a six-month, 10,000-head trial under the supervision of its consulting veterinarian, Dr Matthew George of Bovine Dynamics.
The feedlot recorded a 37% reduction in pull rates; a 32% reduction in BRD cases; a 20% reduction in the number of cattle receiving any antibiotic treatment; and a 14% reduction in all-cause mortalities compared to the same six-month period the previous year.

BRD treatment costs were reduced by 44%.

These results are consistent with other large-scale commercial trials conducted in USA.

Matt Bekker says “ProTernative offers a number of important benefits to the Australian lotfeeding industry in terms of animal welfare, antibiotic stewardship and sustainability. It is also a consumer friendly solution the industry is backing with enthusiasm”.

“Aside from the obvious health and performance effects, BRD outbreaks result in significant pen interruption with either identified cattle or complete pens being taken to the vet bay for antibiotic treatment. Today’s best practice places greater focus on prevention using effective vaccination protocols and programes like animal pooling and assimilation pre-feedlot entry”.

“In fact, many feedlots now specify that backgrounded cattle must be pre-vaccinated.

“While being fed throughout growth to support immunity, ProTernative also compliments vaccination because it helps to prime the animal’s own immune response system. The mode of action allows adequate response to the vaccine, while moderating the immune signalling response, allowing the animal to build robust immune defence”.

Matt says probiotics are now extensively used in livestock production in Europe and North America with adoption growing beyond production capacity in some instances.

“Antibiotics create modified rumen and gut environment by removing unwelcome, introduced microbial species,” Matt says. “This affects the entire microbial population with off-target microbial interruption”.

“ProTernative probiotic achieves the same outcome by creating a desirable environment for the proliferation of beneficial microbes native to the host.

“ProTernative is known to prevent harmful pathogens, such as Clostridia spp., Vibrio cholera, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and E. coli, from adhering to the gut epithelium, reducing infection and inflammation.

“Remembering ruminant health and performance is not just about the rumen”.

“There’s another 47 metres of gut that is delicately protected by an epithelial barrier that is only one cell deep.

“ProTernative demonstrates the full suite of its immunobiotic properties when introduced to the intestine through feed. It activates the animal’s immune system to reduce the negative impact of stress and supports systemic barrier integrity from the gut wall to the lungs.”