Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a devastating respiratory disease of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa causing severe suffering and high mortality without effective treatment options.
CBPP causes severe respiratory suffering through pleuropneumonia and pleurisy — the inflammation of the lung lining causing intense, persistent pain with every breath. Affected cattle show characteristic reluctance to move, extended neck posture, and abdominal breathing as they attempt to minimise pain. The chronic sequestrum form, where lung tissue becomes walled off, creates a long-term reservoir of infection and persistent welfare compromise. Improving vaccination coverage in pastoral cattle populations would dramatically reduce CBPP-related suffering across millions of animals annually.