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Animals
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Foot and Claw Health in Dairy Cow
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Foot and Claw Health in Dairy Cow

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Cattle".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 July 2024 | Viewed by 3111

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Menno Holzhauer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Royal GD Animal Health, Arnsbergstraat 7, 7400 AA Deventer, The Netherlands
Interests: animal health monitoring; claw health control; mycoplasma management; parasitic diseases; zoonosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In addition to mastitis and fertility, lameness in dairy cattle is a significant farm-related disorder. Lameness is important with regard to the economic damage it engenders, due to issues that include reduced levels of milk production and fertility, weight loss and the premature culling of cows. However, it is also a critical problem in the sense that it affects animal welfare, the job satisfaction of the farmers and the image of the dairy cattle sector.

As already mentioned by the late Toussaint Raven (1985), lameness in dairy cattle is mainly a hoof health problem, which particularly affects the hind limb hoofs. When first considered by Raven, the extent of its affect was in the ratio of 5:95 between the front and hind hoof, respectively; since then, the ratio has slightly shifted and it is now 20:80, respectively. The most important reasons for this distribution include the position of the hindlegs in relation to the body of the cow, a heavier load on the hind legs, and the hind legs being located in a more dirty and wet environment.

Claw disorders can be divided into infectious claw disorders (ICDs) and non-infectious claw disorders (NICDs). ICDs mainly include digital dermatitis (DD), interdigital dermatitis/heel horn erosion and interdigital phlegmon. NICDs include mainly sole hemorrhages, sole ulcers, white line disease and toe necrosis. Axial wall fissures are also more prevalent in the Netherlands. Researchers at the University of Liverpool have also shown that the distinction between ICDs and NICDs is somewhat artificial. Evans et al. (2011) have demonstrated that horn lesions are primarily or secondarily infected by the same Treponema bacteria that are responsible for DD.

The aim of this Special Issue is to present recent research and reviews on the etiology, pathogenesis, economic consequences and therapy of the claw disorders that are responsible for lameness in dairy cattle; this is with the aim of stimulating interest in, understanding and the exploration of this important subject, and in order to improve animal welfare and the durability of dairy cattle.

Dr. Menno Holzhauer
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • dairy cattle
  • lameness
  • claw disorders
  • durability

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2198 KiB  
Article
Bacteriophages for Controlling Staphylococcus spp. Pathogens on Dairy Cattle Farms: In Vitro Assessment
by Ewelina Pyzik, Renata Urban-Chmiel, Łukasz Kurek, Klaudia Herman, Rafał Stachura and Agnieszka Marek
Animals 2024, 14(5), 683; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14050683 - 22 Feb 2024
Viewed by 698
Abstract
Pathogenic Staphylococcus spp. strains are significant agents involved in mastitis and in skin and limb infections in dairy cattle. The aim of this study was to assess the antibacterial effectiveness of bacteriophages isolated from dairy cattle housing as potential tools for maintaining environmental [...] Read more.
Pathogenic Staphylococcus spp. strains are significant agents involved in mastitis and in skin and limb infections in dairy cattle. The aim of this study was to assess the antibacterial effectiveness of bacteriophages isolated from dairy cattle housing as potential tools for maintaining environmental homeostasis. The research will contribute to the use of phages as alternatives to antibiotics. The material was 56 samples obtained from dairy cows with signs of limb and hoof injuries. Staphylococcus species were identified by phenotypic, MALDI-TOF MS and PCR methods. Antibiotic resistance was determined by the disc diffusion method. Phages were isolated from cattle housing systems. Phage activity (plaque forming units, PFU/mL) was determined on double-layer agar plates. Morphology was examined using TEM microscopy, and molecular characteristics were determined with PCR. Among 52 strains of Staphylococcus spp., 16 were used as hosts for bacteriophages. Nearly all isolates (94%, 15/16) showed resistance to neomycin, and 87% were resistant to spectinomycin. Cefuroxime and vancomycin were the most effective antibiotics. On the basis of their morphology, bacteriophages were identified as class Caudoviricetes, formerly Caudovirales, families Myoviridae-like (6), and Siphoviridae-like (9). Three bacteriophages of the family Myoviridae-like, with the broadest spectrum of activity, were used for further analysis. This study showed a wide spectrum of activity against the Staphylococcus spp. strains tested. The positive results indicate that bacteriophages can be used to improve the welfare of cattle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Foot and Claw Health in Dairy Cow)
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16 pages, 18798 KiB  
Article
Local and Systemic Inflammation in Finnish Dairy Cows with Digital Dermatitis
by Hertta Pirkkalainen, Aino Riihimäki, Taru Lienemann, Marjukka Anttila, Minna Kujala-Wirth, Päivi Rajala-Schultz, Heli Simojoki, Timo Soveri and Toomas Orro
Animals 2024, 14(3), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14030461 - 31 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 969
Abstract
Digital dermatitis is a disease of the digital skin and causes lameness and welfare problems in dairy cattle. This study assessed the local and systemic inflammatory responses of cows with different digital dermatitis lesions and compared macroscopical and histological findings. Cow feet ( [...] Read more.
Digital dermatitis is a disease of the digital skin and causes lameness and welfare problems in dairy cattle. This study assessed the local and systemic inflammatory responses of cows with different digital dermatitis lesions and compared macroscopical and histological findings. Cow feet (n = 104) were evaluated macroscopically and skin biopsies histologically. Serum samples were analyzed for acute phase proteins (serum amyloid A and haptoglobin) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha). Cows with macroscopically graded active lesions (p = 0.028) and non-active lesions (p = 0.008) had higher interleukin-1 beta levels in their serum compared to healthy cows. Interleukin-1 beta serum concentrations were also higher (p = 0.042) when comparing lesions with necrosis to lesions without necrosis. There was no difference when other cytokine or acute phase protein concentrations in healthy cows were compared to those in cows with different digital dermatitis lesions. A novel histopathological grading was developed based on the chronicity of the lesions and presence of necrosis and ulceration. The presence and number of spirochetes were graded separately. In the most severe chronic lesions, there was marked epidermal hyperplasia and hyperkeratosis with necrosis, deep ulceration, and suppurative inflammation. Spirochetes were found only in samples from necrotic lesions. This study established that digital dermatitis activates proinflammatory cytokines. However, this did not initiate the release of acute phase proteins from the liver. A histopathological grading that takes into account the age and severity of the lesions and presence of spirochetes was developed to better understand the progression of the disease. It is proposed that necrosis of the skin is a result of ischemic necrosis following reduced blood flow in the dermal papillae due to pressure and shear stress caused by thickened epidermis, and that the spirochetes are secondary invaders following tissue necrosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Foot and Claw Health in Dairy Cow)
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20 pages, 2717 KiB  
Article
Prevalence of Painful Lesions of the Digits and Risk Factors Associated with Digital Dermatitis, Ulcers and White Line Disease on Swiss Cattle Farms
by Andreas Fürmann, Claudia Syring, Jens Becker, Analena Sarbach, Jim Weber, Maria Welham Ruiters and Adrian Steiner
Animals 2024, 14(1), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14010153 - 02 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 766
Abstract
The first aim of this study was to calculate the prevalence of painful lesions of the digits (“alarm” lesions; ALs) in Swiss dairy herds and cow–calf operations over a three-year study period. The following ALs were included in the calculation: the M2 stage [...] Read more.
The first aim of this study was to calculate the prevalence of painful lesions of the digits (“alarm” lesions; ALs) in Swiss dairy herds and cow–calf operations over a three-year study period. The following ALs were included in the calculation: the M2 stage of digital dermatitis (DD M2), ulcers (U), white line fissures (WLF) of moderate and high severity, white line abscesses (WLA), interdigital phlegmon (IP) and swelling of the coronet and/or bulb (SW). Between February 2020 and February 2023, digit disorders were electronically recorded during routine trimmings by 40 specially trained hoof trimmers on Swiss cattle farms participating in the national claw health programme. The data set used consisted of over 35,000 observations from almost 25,000 cows from 702 herds. While at the herd-level, the predominant AL documented in 2022 was U with 50.3% followed by WLF with 38.1%, at the cow-level, in 2022, it was DD M2 with 5.4% followed by U with 3.7%. During the study period, within-herd prevalences of ALs ranged from 0.0% to a maximum of 66.1% in 2020. The second aim of this study was to determine herd- and cow-level risk factors associated with digital dermatitis (DD), U and white line disease (WL) in dairy cows using data from 2022. While for DD, analysed herd-level factors appeared to have a greater effect on the probability of its occurrence, the presence of U and WL was mainly associated with the analysed cow-level factors. The risk for DD increased with a higher herd trimming frequency. Herds kept in tie stalls had a lower risk for DD and WL and a higher risk for U compared to herds kept in loose housing systems. Herds with predominantly Holstein Friesian cows as well as Holstein Friesian cows had a higher risk for the occurrence of DD compared to herds and cows of other breeds. With increasing parity, cows had a higher risk of developing U and WL, whereas for DD, parity was negatively associated with prevalence. Cows trimmed during the grazing period had a higher risk of U and WL than cows trimmed during the housing period. These findings may contribute to improve management measures affecting the health of the digits in farms with structures similar to those evaluated in the current study, such as small herds with frequent access to pasture. Further research is warranted to demonstrate how measures addressing the current results combined with those of individual herd risk assessments might contribute to an improvement in the health of the digits in the respective dairy herds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Foot and Claw Health in Dairy Cow)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

1. Tentative paper title: Painful lesions of the digit on Swiss cattle farms participating in a national claw health programme: Prevalence and associated risk factors


Authors: Andreas Fürmann, Analena Sarbach, Jim Weber, Maria Welham Ruiters, Claudia Syring, Jens Becker and Adrian Steiner

2. Tentative paper title: Local and systemic inflammation in Finnish dairy cows with digital dermatitis


Authors: Hertta Pirkkalainen, Aino Riihimäki, Taru Lienemann, Marjukka Anttila, Minna Kujala-Wirth, Päivi Rajala-Schultz, Heli Simojoki, Timo Soveri and Toomas Orro

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