With no vaccine or silver bullet to cure it, acute (or atypical) interstitial pneumonia is one of the most frustrating respiratory problems feedlots face. It usually strikes late in the feeding period in high-performing cattle and can carry a case fatality rate of 70 to 100 percent.
Angie Stump Denton shares seven facts beef producers should know about AIP:
- AIP comes on fast and looks like a severe respiratory wreck
- Very few cattle get AIP, but most of them die
- AIP strikes late in the feeding period when stakes are highest
- Summer, heifers and long-fed cattle are common threads; the cause is still unclear
- AIP lungs that set it apart from classic bronchopneumoniaon post-mortem
- Diagnosis is tricky and necropsies matter
- Treatment is mostly supportive; pen-rider vigilance is the best tool
Source: Drovers, July 8, 2026. Link.
AIP doesn’t hit many cattle, but when it does, the odds are not in their favor.”
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