Definition

Noun: A severe, often fatal, infectious disease primarily affecting cattle and sheep. It is characterized by high fever and pneumonia, and is typically contracted when the animals are under stress due to conditions like exposure to harsh weather, exhaustion, or the physical strain of transportation (e.g., being shipped to market).

Usage

The term is used specifically in veterinary and agricultural contexts to describe this illness linked to the stress of transport. - The veterinarian diagnosed the sick cow with shipping fever, likely due to the long journey. - Farmers take precautions to minimize stress and prevent outbreaks of shipping fever when moving their herds.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used metaphorically in informal contexts to describe a state of extreme exhaustion or illness brought on by stressful travel or relocation, though this is not the primary medical definition.
  • After that hectic business trip with three flights in 24 hours, I came down with a case of shipping fever.

Variants and Related Words

• Shipping Fever Complex: A more technical term emphasizing that the disease often involves multiple bacterial agents.
• Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) or Bovine Pneumonic Pasteurellosis: Modern clinical terms that encompass shipping fever as a common manifestation.
• Transit Fever: A less common synonym.

Synonyms

• Transit pneumonia
• Bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis (specific bacterial cause)
• BRD (Bovine Respiratory Disease)

Noun

1. a deadly form of septicemia in cattle and sheep; involves high fever and pneumonia; contracted under conditions of exposure or exhaustion (as often happens when the animals are shipped to market)