Cases Of Digital Dermatitis Research Articles

Evaluating the efficacy of two footbath concentrates to control digital dermatitis in freestall dairy cows using a non-inferiority study

Digital dermatitis (DD), an infectious hoof lesion, is prevalent in U.S. dairies and compromises cow health, welfare and profit­ability. Footbaths are the main form of DD prevention and con­trol. Understanding the comparative efficacies among commer­cial footbath products in preventing and controlling DD cases within a herd is necessary to provide farms with the informa­tion required when selecting a product for use. Digital derma­titis (DD), an infectious hoof lesion, is prevalent in U.S. dairies and can rapidly become endemic to a herd if not proactively controlled, compromising cow health, welfare and profitabil­ity. Footbaths are the main form of DD prevention and control. Understanding the comparative efficacies among commercial footbath products in preventing and controlling DD cases with­in a herd is necessary to provide farms with the information re­quired when selecting a product for use. Our primary objective was to determine if a commercial footbath concentrate (Heal­max®) was non-inferior to a copper sulfate concentrate in the prevention of new cases of digital dermatitis (DD). As a second­ary objective, we sought to investigate the comparative effica­cies of the 2 products in the control of chronic DD cases.

Use of Bandaging in the treatment of Digital Dermatitis

Abstract The aim of this study was to compare two different methods for the treatment of digital dermatitis (DD) in dairy cows. Moreover, both treatment methods were tested if they could stop the recurrences of DD in the same patient. For this study, data were collected on two separate occasions across a six-month period (spring and the following autumn). During these two periods, 280 and 232 Holstein Friesian dairy cows were examined respectively in the crush. The following two treatment methods were compared: 1. Scarification of the lesion surface and antibiotic spray; 2. Resection of the lesion, antibiotic spray and powder, and covering with a bandage. A first control 3 weeks after the initial trimming period was carried out to check the condition of the lesions. The recurrence rate of DD was assessed during the second hoof trimming (autumn). In this study, no differences between two treatment methods could be observed as all treated animals have shown a 100 % healing. The assessment of a recurrence rate showed no new cases of acute DD in the group 1 (non-bandaging) and in the group 2; however, there was a 28.6 % recurrence rate in the group 1 (non-bandaging). The material costs and treatment time were also several times higher in the bandaging group. In conclusion, the tested methods did not differ in healing success rate, however, there are other important factors like time and costs that play an important role in the decision of a farmer or manager as to which treatment to use for their dairy cows.

A Differential Innate Immune Response in Active and Chronic Stages of Bovine Infectious Digital Dermatitis.

Digital dermatitis (DD) commonly associated with Treponema spp. infection is a prevalent infectious bovine foot disease characterized by ulcerative and necrotic lesions. Lesions associated with DD are often classified using the M-stage scoring system, with M0 indicating healthy heel skin and M4 indicating chronic lesions. Current treatments utilizing antimicrobials or chemical footbaths are often ineffective and rarely cure DD lesions. Understanding the function of the innate immune response in the pathogenesis of DD will help to identify novel therapeutic approaches. In this study, the expression of the local innate host defense peptides cathelicidins and β-defensins was investigated in cows with DD and associated with the presence of treponemes and inflammatory reactions. Samples from active ulcerative DD lesions (M2) had considerable epidermal neutrophilic infiltration and increased gene expression of β-defensin tracheal antimicrobial peptides compared to control skin. Samples from acute lesions also had elevated local Cxcl-8 and TLR4 gene expression and abundant treponemes as identified by direct visualization, immunohistochemistry, and culture. Conversely, the anti-inflammatory peptide IL-10 was elevated in skin from chronic (M4) lesions, whereas bovine cathelicidin myeloid antimicrobial peptide 28 (Bmap-28) was increased in skin from oxytetracycline-treated M2 lesions. Experiments using cultured human keratinocytes challenged with Treponema spp. isolated from clinical cases of bovine DD showed that structural products from treponemes are able to initiate the innate immune response, in part through TLR2 signaling. These findings indicate that neutrophil influx, Cxcl-8, and β-defensin are key markers of active DD. Cathelicidins and IL-10 seem important in response to treatment or during the chronic proliferative stages of the disease.

Assessing farmer awareness of digital dermatitis prevalence in Danish dairy herds

Digital dermatitis (DD) is a major and widespread contagious disease of the feet in dairy cattle.1–4 The disease may cause lameness in cows,5 decreased milk yield and excessive use of...

Can digital dermatitis be detected in the milking parlor without washing cows' feet?

Scoring digital dermatitis (DD) in the milking parlor after washing the hind feet of cows has been recommended. However, farmers might be reluctant to perform this washing due to compromised udder hygiene. The objective of this study was to evaluate if DD prevalence can be determined without the washing procedure. A total of 4510 cows from 22 dairy herds were scored for DD in the milking parlor without and with washing their hind feet. In all DD infected herds, DD prevalence was higher when scored with washing. The two methods were highly correlated (r=0.987, P<0.001). Scoring with washing resulted in a median of 32% more detected DD cases with a large variation between herds. Overall, DD measurements without washing the feet of cows should be interpreted with caution.

Immune response against Treponema spp. and ELISA detection of digital dermatitis

The objective of this longitudinal study was to evaluate the immune response against Treponema spp. infection in dairy heifers affected with digital dermatitis (DD). In addition, the accuracy of an indirect ELISA detecting anti-Treponema IgG antibodies in identifying clinical DD status has been assessed. A cohort of 688 pregnant Holstein heifers was evaluated at least 3 times before calving during a period of 6 mo. Complete clinical assessment of DD presence on the back feet of each heifer and blood extraction were performed in a stand-up chute. Digital dermatitis cases were characterized by the M-stage classification system and size and level of skin proliferation. An ELISA was performed on blood serum samples obtained from a subcohort of 130 heifers. For description purposes, the animals were classified by the number of clinical cases experienced during the study period as type I (no clinical cases were observed), type II (only 1 acute clinical case diagnosed), and type III (at least 2 acute clinical cases diagnosed). Multivariable repeated-measures models were used to evaluate the immune response against Treponema spp. infection. A binormal Bayesian model for the ELISA data without cut-point values was used to assess the accuracy of the ELISA as a diagnostic tool. Animals that never experienced a DD event throughout the study kept a constant low level of antibody titer. A 56% increase in mean ELISA titer was observed in heifers upon a first clinical DD case diagnosis. After topical treatment of an acute DD case with oxytetracycline, the antibody titer decreased progressively in type II heifers, achieving mean levels of those observed in healthy cows after a mean of 223 d. Surprisingly, antibody titer was not increased in the presence of M1 (DD lesion <20mm in diameter surrounded by healthy skin) and M4.1 (DD lesion <20mm in diameter embedded in a circumscribed dyskeratotic or proliferative skin alteration) DD stages. Type III cows showed a slight increase in antibody levels. The presence of skin proliferation at first DD diagnosis was found to be associated with an odds ratio of 2.04 of becoming a type III heifer in relation to heifers presenting first lesions without skin proliferation. The ELISA validity was estimated by an area under the curve of 0.88. Predicted probabilities of infection are provided for a range of ELISA values and prevalence of infection. Early detection and treatment is essential to control DD and the ELISA can be used in understanding the immunopathology of DD and shows great promise for prescreening purposes during DD management programs in combination with traditional clinical inspection.

Case report: Reducing lameness through active screening, attention to details and skilled staff

A detailed lameness review was conducted on a prize-winning Gloucestershire herd of 332 Holsteins. Lameness incidence, calculated from lameness treatment records on Interherd (Pan Livestock, UK) using TotalVet (Sum-it, UK), was found to be 17 cases per 100 cows per year. Lameness prevalence, as measured using an automatic lameness detection system at the start of December 2010, was found to be extremely low, at 12% lameness, of which only 2% were classed as severely lame. Lesion incidence analysis revealed a shift in pattern of lameness lesions, coinciding with a new herdsman, from sole ulcers and white line disease to sole bruising and digital dermatitis. The increase in sole bruising and digital dermatitis cases was attributed to more proactive detection and treatment of lameness. Further work is needed to establish whether automatic lameness detection systems can be used to review lameness trends as well as acting as a means of monitoring lameness onset and lameness recovery.

Characterization of a spirochaete isolated from a case of bovine digital dermatitis

The aim of the study was to characterize a spirochaete isolated from the lesions of a cow with digital dermatitis (DD). The characterization was on the basis of its light and electron microscopic appearance, enzymic profile and DNA sequence analysis of its flagellin and 16S rRNA genes. The spirochaete was 6-8-microm long and 0.2-0.3 microm in diameter, and possessed seven to eight periplasmic flagella, with three to five helical turns. The enzymic profile of the bacterium resembles, but is not identical to that of Treponema brennaborense. Its flagellin gene sequence was identical to that of Treponema phagedenis but distinct from that of an ovine spirochaete. Analysis of a 1477-bp region of the 16S rRNA genes indicated that this is a Treponema species and that it is indistinguishable from some isolates made from cases of bovine DD in the United States. Finally, electron microscopy revealed the presence of myovirus-like bacteriophage particles in all cultures of the treponeme examined. The spirochaete isolate was identified as a Treponema species closely related to some isolates from the United States (by 16S rDNA) and to T. phagedenis (by flagellin gene sequence) and is associated with bacteriophage particles. The fact that the isolates with the same or very similar 16S rDNA sequences have been obtained from cases of bovine DD in cattle in different countries at different times, lends further support to the hypothesis that treponemes play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease.

Herd- and Cow-Level Prevalence of Digital Dermatitis in The Netherlands and Associated Risk Factors

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to reevaluate the prevalence of digital dermatitis (DD) and associated risk factors in The Netherlands. Between May 2002 and December 2003, information about the presence or absence of DD lesions and other claw disorders on the hind claws of dairy cows in The Netherlands was collected by 20 hoof trimmers during trimming of all dairy cows in 383 herds. A questionnaire was used to acquire information regarding management and housing. Additional information, such as parity, breed, and stage of lactation of the cows, was provided by the Dutch Herd Book Organization. Digital dermatitis was present in 21.2% (SE=0.3) of the study population (n=22,454 cows). The herd prevalence varied from 0% (9.1% of the herds) to 83.0%. Most common was herd prevalence between 5 and 10%. The Holstein-Friesian breed was at higher risk for DD [odds ratio (OR)=1.7] than was the Meuse Rhine IJssel breed (dual purpose breed). The risk for DD decreased with increasing parity. Cows at the peak of their lactation (30 to 60 d in milk) and in the third parity had higher odds for DD in comparison with cows that were later than 60 DIM. The presence of other claw disorders, such as interdigital dermatitis/heel horn erosion (IDHE), interdigital hyperplasia (HYP), and interdigital phlegmon, appeared to be predisposing for DD. Based on estimation of the population-attributable fraction, it was concluded that if IDHE, HYP, and interdigital phlegmon were not present among the study population, respectively, 32.2, 9.0, and 1.1% of the DD cases could have been prevented. The risk for DD slightly decreased when cows affected by IDHE had access to pasture. Because of the interrelation between infectious claw disorders, an effective intervention strategy against DD should focus on an integrated approach to the control of all infectious claw diseases. Cows trimmed >12 mo before the study (during regular trimming of the entire herd) were at lower risk for DD than were cows that were trimmed at shorter intervals. Animals that had >8h of access to pasture were at higher risk for DD (OR=1.6) compared with no access to pasture. Finally, cows in small-sized herds (<45 cows) affected with HYP were at lower risk (OR=0.6) for DD than were cows affected with HYP in medium- and large-sized herds (60 to 85 cows per herd).