If you know cattle ranching, you may have heard of dust pneumonia, a.k.a. atypical — or acute — interstitial (inter-sti-shal) pneumonia. Or just AIP. Call it what you will: it’s a curse for cattle.

There’s much we don’t know about AIP, but here are some facts. It affects many more heifers than steers, usually in July and August — late in the feeding period. And AIP strikes swiftly. Most cattle are first found in respiratory distress: mouth-breathing and panting.

Worst of all, AIP is untreatable — in part because it’s not an infection. Instead, it looks to be caused by an interplay of factors, including dust, heat and a toxin created in the body from the breakdown of dietary protein.

Researchers are looking for answers, including a possible link between digestive disease and lung damage. Because once we know how AIP forms, we can work on how to prevent it.