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2 TREATMENT OF DIGITAL DERMATITIS LESIONS IN DAIRY COWS WITH A NOVEL NONANTIBIOTIC FORMULATION IN A FOOT BATH C.D. Gradle, 1,2 J. Felling, 1 A.O. Dee, 1 1 Westfalia-Surge, Inc., Romeoville, IL Introduction Since it was first described in 1974 by Cheli and Mortellaro, 1 digital dermatitis has emerged as a major infectious disease in the feet of dairy cattle worldwide. Increases in lameness, loss of reproductive efficiency and mastitis have all been the attributed to this disease. While the etiology is unknown, it has been determined that the cause is bacterial, due to the ability of topical antibiotics to effectively treat the disease. 2 On the dairy farm, the preferred method to treat and control foot disease in general is with the use of a footbath. Footbaths, such as those containing copper sulfate, have been used effectively for such conditions as foot rot for many years. Topical treatment of foot diseases, however, may require the of allocation workers to spray or wrap individual lesions, usually during milking. Many dairy operations do not have the resources to hire and train personnel to individually treat every cow on a frequent basis. Hooftrimmers and sometimes, veterinarians, have been utilized but this presents other problems related to availability, training and willingness. Footbaths, however, require a minimal amount of expense to set up and maintain. Extra personnel are not required and there is minimal or no disruption to milking throughput time because the cows merely step through the footbath as they are leaving the milking area. There are other non-cost or efficiency-related advantages with footbaths. Since the infected foot is totally immersed in the germicide, no areas are likely to escape contact, whereas this is problematic with topical applications. With digital dermatitis, hard-to-get-to pockets of infection are frequently present, especially in back of the interdigital space where the anaerobic bacteria thought to cause the disease can grow. Footbaths, however, present their own set of unique challenges to disease treatment and control. One major problem is that they quickly become contaminated with manure and soil which can compromise the efficacy of the anti-microbial agents present in the bath. Therefore, effective management with frequent changing is a necessary ingredient for treatment. Even with thorough footbath management, however, evidence of success against digital dermatitis has been lacking with both antibiotic and non-antibiotic footbath products. The present study utilizes a unique, crystalline non-antibiotic formulation for footbaths based on our current Victory Topical formulation. We attempted to measure the effectiveness of this formulation in treating digital dermatitis on a dairy that had numerous cases. We were also interested in assessing the staying power of footbaths. Therefore, we correlated the number of cows passing through with both changes in ph and in-vitro bactericidal efficacy. 1 Contact at: Westfalia-Surge, Inc., 1354 Enterprise Drive, Romeoville, IL 60446; ; charles.gradle@westfaliasurge.com 363

3 Materials and Methods The crystalline footbath product was tested on a Wisconsin dairy that milked 260 cows two times per day in a 28 stall internal AutoRotor parlor. Over six days after each milking, 12 lbs. of the product was mixed with 30 gallons of fresh water to produce a concentration of approximately 4.5%. Lesions on nineteen cows were evaluated and scored on the first day for pain, size and appearance. They were evaluated using the following scoring system. 0 = no lesion, 1 = concave or flat, raw lesion and/or mild or moderate pain, 2 = flat, raw lesion, granular appearance, severe pain, 3 = large, mature (chronic), raised lesion, with possible protruding hair-like projections. Twelve days later, the lesions were scored again. Comparisons were made between lesion scores for the two days with a non-parametric, paired t test (Wilcoxin). Samples of the footbath from one milking were taken after 0, 60, 120, 180 and 240 cows walked through. These samples were measured for ph and evaluated for bactericidal efficacy with a minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) assay. Three anaerobic bacteria implicated in foot disease were tested. Results The mean lesion score for the nineteen cows on day one of the trial was On day 12, the mean lesion score was 0.74 (see table 1). The difference in lesion score between day 1 and day 12 was significant (P < 0.05). Final scores were generally 1 or 0, with only three cows showing no improvement after 12 days. Most of the initial small lesions completely or almost completely healed, while the larger, chronic lesions, showed improvement in four of five cases. During healing, black scabs formed which either fell off or could be picked off, revealing healthy skin underneath. The ph of the Victory crystalline formulation increased steadily as the number of cows passing through the footbath increased. The ph rose from an initial value of 1.99 to 4.46 after 240 cows (table 2). At the same time, the bactericidal efficacy against the three anaerobic bacteria tested decreased, though at varying rates, depending on the organism (table 2). The greatest decreases were with F. necrophorum and D. nodosus. These organisms have been implicated with foot rot and interdigital dermatitis, respectively. The least affected was the Campylobacter strain A7, which was isolated from digital dermatitis lesions and may be associated with the diseases etiology. Conclusions Up to now, there has been scant evidence of an efficacious product against digital dermatitis in a footbath. Studies have demonstrated that antibiotics fail to retain their potency in footbaths after a relatively small number of cows. 3 This is likely due to their inability to withstand the influence of the build up of organic material as footbaths are used. Similarly, many non-antibiotic approaches have also failed. For example, copper sulfate and formaldehyde footbaths are widely used for attacking digital dermatitis but there is little evidence supporting the claim that they are effective in treating the disease. Likewise, there s little or no evidence to support the effectiveness of any of the several proprietary products currently marketed for use in footbaths. 364

4 With the present study we have seen evidence of an effective footbath product. We also confirm the important role accumulation of organic material and therefore, management, plays in the overall effectiveness of footbaths. Considerable work still needs to be done to verify and prove the products long term efficacy and perhaps, improve on it s effectiveness. Nevertheless, this study demonstrates that the Victory crystalline formulation might be an effective product for quickly and effectively treating digital dermatitis in well-managed footbaths. References 1. Cheli, R, Mortellaro C: La Dermatite Digitale Del Bovino. Proc. VIII; International Meeting on Diseases of Cattle, , Read DH, Walker RL, et al: An invasive spirochete associated with interdigital dermatitis in cattle. Vet Rec 130:59-60, Shearer, JK, Personnel communication Cow Number Day 0 Table 1 Day 12 Cow Number Day 0 Day Mean Table 2 Number of Cows ph F. necrophorum D. nodosus Campylobacter A7 0 cows a cows cows cows cows a Value represents number of two-fold dilutions of product needed before complete inhibition of growth is obtained. 365

5 THE EFFICACY OF NON-ANTIBIOTIC FOOT-BATHS IN THE CONTROL OF DIGITAL DERMATITIS IN THE UK Laven R.A., 1 Hunt H. ADAS Bridgets Dairy Research Centre, Martyr Worthy, Hants SO21 1AP Introduction Herd treatment with antibiotics, via a foot-bath, is currently the most commonly used method of control of digital dermatitis in the UK, although there are no licensed products for such use. Recent reports from the US suggest that non-antibiotic products can be as effective as antibiotics in the control of digital dermatitis, but only when applied individually (Shearer and Hernandez 2000). This study was designed to investigate whether 3 readily available nonantibiotic products are effective against digital dermatitis when applied via a foot-bath. Materials and Methods In October 2000 the hind feet of all lactating cows housed in cubicles at ADAS Bridgets (369 in total) were examined for the presence of digital dermatitis using a modified borescope (Laven 1999). After the exclusion of all cows with concurrent foot disease other than digital dermatitis, 263 lesions were found in 187 cows (no cow had more than one lesion on one foot). Cows with digital dermatitis were divided into four, approximately equal groups on the basis of their current housing. Each housing group was then randomly allocated into one of four treatment groups. This is summarised in Table 1. All hind feet were re-examined immediately before the first treatment application (Day 0). The lesions were scored using the scheme of Laven and Hunt (2000).The lesions were scored again on Day 4, Day 7 and Day 21. Results The lesion score at each time-point for each treatment is shown in Figure 1. There was a significant change in lesion score with time (P<0.001), with the mean lesion score for all treatments being significantly less on Day 7 and Day 21 than on Day 0 (P<0.05). The effect of treatment alone was not significant at the 5 % level (P=0.08), nor was there any significant interaction (P=0.07) between treatment and time. These data suggest that at ADAS Bridgets a seven day foot-bath regime of 5% formalin, 10% copper sulphate or 1% peracetic acid can be as effective at controlling digital dermatitis as the positive control erythromycin. (However, the data from this study suggest that peracetic acid may not be as effective as copper or formalin, as the mean lesion score of the peracetic acidtreated cattle was higher on Day 21 than that of formalin, copper sulphate or erythromycintreated cattle. Further research is required to confirm this) 1 Contact at: ADAS Bridgets Dairy Research Centre, Martyr Worthy, Hants SO21 1AP; (02962) ; Richard.laven@adas.co,uk 366

6 Digital dermatitis at ADAS Bridgets is a mild, endemic disease. Therefore, it is likely that the results of this study apply only to herds which have a similar pattern of digital dermatitis. Furthermore, this study only shows the effect of one period of treatment over a 21 day period. Further research is required to establish whether these benefits persist for a longer period, and if not what the best regime for non-antibiotic treatment is. Acknowledgements This study was funded by the Milk Development Council References 1. Laven R A and H Hunt: 11 th International Symposium on the Ruminant Digit, Parma pp , Shearer JK and J Hernandez: 11 th International Symposium on the Ruminant Digit, Parma pp ,

7 Table 1: Assignment of treatment and housing: Treatment Dilution Footbath regime Housing Erythrocin Soluble (Ceva) 210g erythromycin / 100l Daily for 2 days TSC Formalin 6l formalin / 100l Daily for 7 days TSC Copper Sulphate 2kg copper sulphate / 100l Daily for 7 days ASC Hyperox (Antec International) 1 kg peracetic acid / 100l Daily for 7 days ASC: Automatically-scraped cubicles TSC: tractor-scraped cubicles ASC and TSC Figure 1: Effect of treatment and time on lesion score: 3.5 Mean Lesion score Erythromycin Formalin Copper Sulphate Peracetic acid (1) (2) Days after first treatment (1) - Duration of treatment of non-antibiotic treatments (2) - Duration of treatment of erythromycin 368

8 COMPARISON OF A TOPICAL NON-ANTIBIOTIC CREAM TO LINCOMYCIN AND NO TREATMENT FOR DIGITAL DERMATITIS D.A. Moore, 1 and S.L. Berry 2,1 University of California: School of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center; 2 Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA , USA Digital dermatitis is a contagious superficial dermatitis primarily affecting the feet of cattle. Antibiotic treatments and some liquid, copper-based products have been found effective, although all antibiotic treatments require a veterinarian s prescription. A new non-antibiotic cream (Victory Cream ) product could be used by hoof trimmers and herdsmen without a prescription. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of this non-antibiotic, topical cream to lincomycin under a bandage and to no treatment. Thirty days after a single treatment, both treatments significantly reduced pain score, lesion activity score, lesion size score and the decision to retreat compared to non-treated controls. Lincomycin was slightly more effective than the non-antibiotic treatment. Using multivariate logistic regression, lactation number and pain score at enrollment were significant treatment effect modifiers on the outcome of a healed lesion. Older cows were more likely to have a healed lesion at 30 days compared with first and second lactation animals. If the pain was moderate compared to severe at the time of enrollment, cows were 2 times more likely to heal, controlling for treatment and lactation group. Although the effect of treatment depends on age and severity of pain, this new non-antibiotic product can serve as a viable alternative to antibiotics and can be applied by hoof trimmers and others when a cow is presented for trimming. 369

9 PROSPECTIVE STUDY ON FOOT CONFORMATION CHARACTERISTICS PREDISPOSING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF PAPILLOMATOUS DIGITAL DERMATITIS R.L. Walker, 1 S.L. Berry, 2 A. Rodriquez-Lainz, 3 and D.Read 4 1 University of California, California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory, Davis, CA 95616, USA; 2 University of California, Department of Animal Science, Davis, CA , USA; 3 University of California, Department of Medicine & Epidemiology, Davis, CA 95616, USA; 4 University of California, California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory, San Bernardino, CA 92412, USA The purpose of this project was to identify if conformational characteristics of the digit or concurrent foot diseases were related to development of papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD). Thirty heifers (26-34 months) were enrolled from a dairy with a 20.24% prevalence of footwarts. All animals were Holsteins and freshened within 2 weeks of the first examination. Detailed observations and measurements of each digit were made every 3 months for a one-year period for a total of 5 examinations. On the months between detailed examinations cows were examined in the milking parlor for presence of PDD. Over the one-year period, 26.7% of the heifers developed PDD. Lesions were predominantly on rear legs (8/9) and located in bulbar and interbulbar areas. No statistical association was detected between PDD lesions and angle of claw, digital width or claw length or with the presence interdigital phlegmon, greasy heel, sole ulcers, sole abscesses or underrun soles. However, interdigital erosions and excavations were commonly associated with PDD based on univariate logistic regression analysis (OR= 19.6 and 11.9, respectively), as were erosions and excavations in the posterior interdigital space pocket (OR= 10.9 and 19.4, respectively). Heel horn erosions were also strongly associated with PDD (OR=8.78). There was a weaker association with manure presence in the posterior interdigital space pocket and PDD (OR=3.66). The findings that heel horn erosions are associated with PDD may be a reflection of the overall foot environment as both conditions are associated with wetter, muddier environments. The strong association of interdigital space and posterior interdigital pocket erosions and excavations with PDD supports clinical observations suggesting interdigital dermatitis and other lesions in the posterior interdigital space may be important factors in the development of PDD. Likewise the statistical association of manure in the posterior interdigital space pocket supports observations suggesting that interdigital lesions may serve as source for maintenance and reoccurrence of PDD lesions. The findings in this study provide further information on potentially important factors predisposing to PDD. 370

10 SEVERE OUTBREAKS OF PAPILLOMATOUS DIGITAL DERMATITIS FOLLOWING SUBCLINICAL FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE IN DAIRY FARMS IN TEHRAN, IRAN I. Nowrouzian 1 Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tehran University Abstract Papillomatous Digital Dermatitis (P)DD has been reported as the most prevalent digital skin disease of bovine foot associated with epidemic lameness worldwide. In contrast, foot and mouth disease (FMD) which is a highly contagious virus infection, sometimes appears as a mild or subclinical episodes within vaccinated dairy herds (post outbreak vaccination pov") cause localised lesions and pain in the foot resulting in lameness and stiffness in gait. Concurrent outbreaks of (P)DD and pov has not been reported yet and this paper deals with the evidence for a connection between these two episodes using clinical field data. This study took place in 8 dairies located in Tehran during a period of one year (October l999 to October 2000) following the request of dairy owners for solving their lameness problem. In each dairy, foot lameness cases were assessed clinically and differential diagnosis was made on the basis of lesions characteristics and involved anatomical areas. Random skin biopsies were taken for further histopathological examination and the photographs were taken from the lesions. In these dairy farms concurrent occurrence of pov and (P)DD were confirmed clinically with epidemic lameness. The prevalence rate of lameness varied in 8 dairies ranged between 35% to 47%. One thousand and two hundreds and twenty seven (40.40%) out of 3037 cows had typical lesions of (P)DD were seen in the hind feet mostly in planter aspect of interdigital space just above the cleft midway between the heel bulbs. Surprisingly, mild FMD lesions were evident in over of 48% of the same cows with (P)DD but not in the same feet. Nearly 85% of the FMD lesions were extended into the interdigital space and only 15% of them were located at the coronary margin. From the results of this observational study it is concluded that there may be a co-infection of FMD virus with spirochetes, aggregate (P)DD lesions for such outbreaks. Introduction In cattle, digital and interdigital skin are the most important anatomical sites for the infectious lesions associated with lameness 1. Papillomatous digital dermatitis (P)DD has been reported as the most prevalent digital skin disease of bovine foot associated with epidemic lameness in Iran 3. In contrast Foot-and-Mouth disease (FMD) which is a highly contagious virus infection, sometimes appears as a mild or subclinical episodes within vaccinated dairy herds (post outbreaks vaccination pov ) cause localized lesions and pain in the foot resulting in lameness and stiffness in gait 2. Concurrent outbreaks of (P)DD and pov has not been reported yet and this paper deals with the evidence for a probable connection between these two episodes by using clinical field data in Iran dairy farms. 1 Contact at: Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tehran University, PO Box , Tehran, Iran; Fax: ; norozian@chamran.ut.ac.ir, norozian47@yahoo.com 371

11 Materials and Methods This study took place in 8 dairies located in Tehran during the period of one year (October 1999 to October 2000) following the request of dairy owners for solving their lameness problem. In each dairy full records of FMD vaccination were collected and foot lameness cases were assessed clinically and differential diagnosis was made on the basis of lesions characteristics and involved anatomical areas. In suspected FMD cases teats and tongues were also observed for mild lesions. Random skin biopsies were taken for further histopathological examination and the photographs were taken from the lesions. In parlor direct spray solution of Lincomycine HCl was advised as a practical method of treatment and the follow-up evaluations were made for complete recovery. Results In these dairy farms concurrent occurrence of pov of FMD and (P)DD were confirmed clinically with epidemic lameness. The prevalence rate of lameness varied in 8 dairies ranged between 35% to 47% (Table 1). One thousand and two hundreds and twenty seven (40.40%) out of 3037 cows had typical lesions of (P)DD were seen in the hind feet mostly in plantar aspect of interdigital space just above the cleft midway between the heel bulbs. Surprisingly, mild FMD foot lesions were evident in over 48% of the same cows with (P)DD but not in the same feet. Nearly 85% of the FMD lesions were extended into the interdigital space and only 15% of them were located at the coronary margin. The timing of pov was found between 14 to 32 days and the FMD infected cases were calculated between 5 to 10 percent of population under study (Table 1). In almost all of the (P)DD cases response to treatment was characterized by complete transformation of lesions to healthy skin. Table 1- Farm description with Papillomatous digital dermatitis (P)DD and subclinical Footand-Mouth disease (FMD). No. Farm size (P)DD Number of FMD FMD Mild FMD prevalence (P)DD cases pov/day % infected clinical signs rate (%) I teat-foot II foot III teat-tongue-foot IV foot-tongue V foot VI foot-teat VII teat-foot VIII foot Total PoV= post-outbreak Vaccination Conclusion From the results of this observational study it is concluded that there may be a co-infection of FMD virus with spirochaetes, aggregate (P)DD lesions for such outbreaks. 372

12 References 1. Demirkan I, Murray RD, Carter SD: Skin diseases of the bovine digit associated with lameness. Vet Bull 70(2): , Hutber AM, Kitching RP and Conway DA: Predicting level of herd infection for outbreaks of Foot-and-Mouth disease in vaccinated herds. Epidemiol Infect 122: , Nowrouzian I. Iran s campaign against digital dermatitis. Vet Pract March 1999, pp:

13 FOOTBATHING IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DIGITAL DERMATITIS Joy Seymour, Jeff Durkin, Harinath Bathina, Tom Hemling West Agro, Inc., Kansas City, Missouri Introduction Digital dermatitis (DD) or hairy heel warts continues to be a growing problem among the nations dairies and the corresponding profit loss associated with the disease continues to rise. While much of the work to date has focused on the reactive treatment of lesions in lame animals, minimal investigation has been done on proactive approaches to controlling the spread of DD. Footbathing is the most commonly used method in the attempt to prevent hairy warts. Often it is used with solutions containing antibiotics, copper sulfate or formaldehyde. Concern has been expressed about the use of such products and the health and environmental consequences of farmers disposing large amounts of these residues into watercourses after treatment. The objective of these studies was to evaluate the efficacy of a novel, nonantibiotic compound, Double Action TM, in controlling digital dermatitis when used in a footbath application. Methods and Materials DD prevalence in two dairy herds was monitored for the period of time the experimental product was in use. For Trial 2, a prevalence survey was conducted immediately prior to the first application of the footbath compound. The product was used in a 5% solution at each location with fresh solution recommended after every cow passages. Footbathing frequency for the duration of the study continued as per the farm s pre-trial protocol. Chronic cases or lame cows were also reactively treated per the farm s pre-trial protocol. Evaluation Trial 1: DD prevalence for this herd was monitored during scheduled hoof trimming visits. For each visit during the trial period, the number of hooves wrapped due to hairy warts and other diseases was recorded. Trial 2: Prevalence surveys of the entire milking herd were conducted once monthly for the duration of the trial. The herd was subjected to a pre-trial prevalence examination before the introduction of the product. Only visible lesions with a pain score of 2 were used in calculating percent prevalence. Pain was evaluated with a water spray while the cow was standing. 374

14 0 = no pain 1 = sensitive (cow lifts hoof for < 2 seconds) 2 = severe (cow lifts hoof for > 2 seconds) Table 1 Trial 1 Trial 2 Location Virginia, USA Washington, USA Number of Cows Pre-trial Footbath Product(s) copper sulfate, formaldehyde copper sulfate, oxytetracycline # Milkings / Day 3 3 Reactive Tx lincomycin/spectinomycin spray, oxytetracycline spray,wrap oxytetracycline wrap Experimental Product Footbath Footbath Application Method Use Dilution 5% 5% Application Frequency 3 6 (#milkings/week) Trial Duration (# months) 12 3 Pre-rinse Water Bath No Yes Results Trial 1: When compared to the first data point, the percentage of hoofs requiring wrapping was reduced by 80% at the end of the twelve month trial period (see Figure 1). One case of foot rot was documented for a newly purchased cow shortly after twelve months on the footbath compound. An average of approximately 1% of the milking herd required wrapping for sole ulcers or abscesses at each hoof trimming visit for the duration of the trial. Trial 2: DD prevalence was reduced by 57% when pre-trial figures are compared to those at the end of the three month trial period (see Figure 2). After a slight increase in prevalence during the second month, the number of painful lesions was again reduced by the conclusion of the trial. Figure 1 Figure 2 Footbath Trial #1 Product Start Date 5/24/00 Footbath Trial #2 Product Start Date 12/13/00 % Warts Wrapped of Whole Herd /22 9/29 11/8 1/18 3/14 3/23 5/ % DD Prevalence /12 1/16 2/26 3/

15 Discussion While both studies show a reduction in the prevalence of digital dermatitis and/or its effects for the respective herds, the level of reduction varies slightly for each. Potential reasons for the trial to trial difference can be attributed to a range of factors including: footbathing frequency, housing conditions, weather, nutrition, and management styles. Reactive treatment to chronic or problem cows must also be considered with regard to the variability of the results as DD is generally regarded as an infectious condition. Different reactive treatment products as well as their application styles (spray or bandage) will have an effect on the overall prevalence of the herd, in turn affecting footbathing efficacy in the prevention of hoof disease. While Trial 1 showed a decline in the number of hairy warts requiring wrapping, the exact drop of prevalence is unknown as no pre-trial survey was conducted. The first reported data point occurs three weeks after the onset of the trial. For Trial 2, prevalence dropped to as low as 8% after one month on the footbath compound. When compared to the pre-trial figure of 23%, this corresponds to a 65% reduction in digital dermatitis. Conclusions The trials discussed in this paper support the hypothesis that the experimental footbath agent can aid in the reduction and control of digital dermatitis. The aim of the studies was to compare prevalence over time, specifically, to compare prevalence before and after the use of the experimental compound. Thus, each farm had different footbathing protocols pre-trial, which were maintained during the study period. Useful future studies might focus on trials, which compare different footbathing frequencies as well as provide a direct comparison between two different test products. References 1. Britt J.S., Berry S.L., Shearer J., Hemling T., Steevens B., Dreher M. 1999, A uniform protocol for evaluating response to treatment of PDD lesions. Bovine Pract 33(2): Dopfer D. Epidemiological investigations of digital dermatitis on two dairy farms. Dep. Herd Health and Reproduction. 1994, Utrecht University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: Utrecht. 3. Hemling T., Seymour J., Bathina H., Siciliano-Jones J., Calaman J , Lesion stage and its effect on the treatment of digital dermatitis. NMC Annual Meeting Proceedings. Double Action TM is manufactured by, and a trademark of, West Agro, Inc. 376

16 DIGITAL DERMATITIS: WHERE WE ARE AFTER 30 YEARS? B. Zemljic 1 Veterinary Polyclinic Ormoz, Ljutomerska 25, SI 2270 Ormoz, Slovenia Abstract Almost before 30 years Mortellaro for the first time reported about new claw disease in cattle, which was called dermatitis digitalis. In recent years after, almost from every country where industrialised type of dairy and beef production was introduced, were reported about same disease. Economical looses in production and health and welfare problems were from year to year greater, therefore many researches were made. Different researches found very different clinical pictures, what was at the and described as different stages of same disease. Already at the begin reasons for origin of the disease were searched. Today we agree that digital dermatitis is a multifactorial disease, with very important infectious component was for the first time reported that some Treponema s.p. could have an important role in disease origin. This theory was not proved nor rejected. In 1998 for the first time was reported, that digital dermatitis, interdigital dermatitis and heel horn erosion were found at the same moment in the herds and this was described and titled Digital skin disorder syndrome. Later in fewer reports similar situation were found. Dichelobacter nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum and at least two different types of Treponemas were detected and determinated in those outbreaks. Obviously not only ineffective agent, but also proportion of nutritive elements, macro and micro elements in animal food, status of skin maceration, imunological status of the single animal and of the herd and level of the production must be taken in to account when we talk about digital dermatitis. It is necessary to think in the way of better prophylactics and optimising of the living and productions parameters for animals to prevent outbreaks of the disease. Introduction From 1974 when digital dermatitis was for the first time diagnosed in northern Italy, digital dermatitis has been identified as a great problem and cause of lameness in mostly dairy cattle in many countries. From Italy spread the disease to almost all European countries and after little less than one decade for the first time was diagnosed in USA, where now seams to be biggest problem of today American dairy industry. Economic losses are from reduced milk production, reduced reproductive efficiency, premature culling, and last but not least because of the costs of the treatment. Changes in Clinical Picture During the Time When Cheli and Mortellaro for the first time described typical signs of the disease, they spoke only about typical changes in the form of erosive appearing lesions of the skin with the granulation and demarcation on the border of the process mostly on the rear site of the claw cleft. As such the disease was described also in 1984 Atlas of claw diseases in cattle and ovine. With the developing of the disease different authors described same disease on 1 Contact at: Veterinary Polyclinic Ormoz, Ljutomerska 25, SI 2270 Ormoz, Slovenia; Ph: ; Fax.: , Mobile: ; veterina@veterina-ormoz.si 377

17 different places of the coronet and at last mostly is not possible to distinguish between digital and interdigital dermatitis. In 1998 was definitive proved, that digital dermatitis with the time ended in proliferative form as papiliform degeneration of the skin as pappilomatous digital dermatitis. Also was establish, that when digital dermatitis develop in the interdigital space, the lesions frequently occur on pre-existing tyloma or probably cause it. Search for the Ineffective Cause of the Disease From the begin researches try to identify cause of this peculiar disease, with no big success till now. In 1994 for the first time was reported that at least two types of Treponemas were found in clinical changed sites on the digital soft tissues. As clinical picture changes in the development of the disease, the greatest problem were, that in the cases of pure digital dermatitis Treponemas were found, in the case of interdigital dermatitis mostly Dichelobacter nodosus, and in the case of interdigital phlegmona Fusobacterium necrophorum. From 1998 few experiment were introduced, which try to find specific vaccine against those three diseases. Although Read and al. found specific antibody against Treponema in diseased animals, what could suggest that these Treponemas had some role in the aetiology of the disease, no success was achieved with any vaccine, nor pure specific Treponemas vaccine or combination of those with Dichelobacter nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum. Multifactorial Disease - How Many Factors Are Necessary? That all prove only, that digital dermatitis is really multifactorial disease with important but not exclusively role of ineffective agent. Factors such as rough flooring, poor drainage, accumulation of faeces and urine on floors, dirty, wet, or even uncomfortable bedding areas and overcrowding, high production and intensive feeding have an adverse effect on digital skin and immunological answer of organism and could increase the risk of appearance of digital dermatitis. Read and Walker hypothesised that disease occurs as the result of exposure of digital skin to oxygen-depleting, wet, organic material containing the causative organisms. This hypothesis could be useful, taking into account also other predilection factors as antigen, production and feeding status of the animal. Epidemiological Picture and Pathogenesis Once introduced in a herd, dermatitis digitalis spreads rapidly within all animals in the herd. Firstly older cows are infected, but after the disease is established in a herd, lameness is most commonly seen in heifers and younger cows. Significant is that digital dermatitis is most exclusively seen only in dairy herds, sporadically in breeding bulls herds at the breeding stations and almost never in beef producing herds. Some retrospective studies indicate that at least two risk factors were significant in high prevalence herds: wet and muddy conditions of the floor and replacements cattle from herds, where no or in very low prevalence disease was identified. Aetiology Is More and More Unclear More or less most authors and researchers deal the opinion, that dermatitis digitalis, dermatitis interdigitalis and heel horn erosion are one and the same disease in different stages of the disease. Even phlegmona interdigitalis could be same disease with additional role of some anaerobic or even aerobic bacteria such Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium etc. Bargai used in 378

18 1998 for such spectre of diseases name Digital skin disorder syndrome, what is not very pleasant and descriptive name, but in the same way very good describe the disease. The mode of transmission of the disease between individual cows and in the herd is till today unclear. Read and al. succeed to transmit the disease with application of scraps from the changed material to healthy animal, what Zemljic also succeed, but only in the same herd or to animals which has to be special prepared for transmission. Read also proved that antibodies status of diseased animals were significantly higher as in not diseased herd or in younger animals. There was also no cross-reactivity between the two Treponemas which were identified and also with no other spirochetal disease of cattle. Also Therapy Talk About Multifactoriality The most common treatments for digital dermatitis involve the use of topical antibiotics and different non-antibiotic spray formulations. About efficacious there are lot of different reports. Because there are still no labelled antibiotics for special use in case of digital dermatitis, adherence to extra label use is imperative, what can cause a lot of problems in the production. The problem is not only in use of topical antibiotics, but also in use of formaldehyde and different sulphates. Not to mention environmental and financial problems with all those substances, the efficacy is limited to certain period of time. Also surgical treatment is successful only limited period of time, not to mention costs, used time and man power for such procedure. Eradication of the disease in infected herds is according to today knowledge and usage of all known methods and prophylactic measures almost impossible. Instead of Conclusions - the Way Further It seems to be very easy almost 30 years ago, when digital dermatitis was for the first time diagnosed, to detect reasons and take disease under control. More we know about this disease more unknown parameters we discover every day. Probably the best solution would be to restore all till today known parameters and start from the beginning again. In the infectious part of the story instead to use more and more sophisticated and expensive methods of detection of the infectious agent, would be probably useful to use experiences from septical lameness in ovine, where researchers found out, that only in certainly cooperation and under certain circumstances infectious agents could produce typical picture of the disease. In the nutritional-production part of the story, more accent must be put on physiology of industrial production, to which extent is such high production physiological and what happens in the moment when animal pass the border of "normal" production. What happened in that moment with the immunological status of the animal, what is with susceptibility in that moment. More attention also must be put in etiological part of dairy production. Only few individuals and some countries start to think in the industrialised cattle production about welfare problems of such enterprises. 379

19 References 1. Bargai U: Digital dermatitis, interdigital dermatitis and heel erosion - Are these separate diseases? Proceedings of the 10 th International Symposium on Lameness in Ruminants, Lucerne, Switzerland, 1998; pp Berry SL: Diseases of the digital soft tissues. The Veterinary Clinics of North America, Food Animal Practice 17: , Bergsten C: Identifying diseases of the bovine foot and their causes. Proceedings of the 1999 Hoof Health Conference, Modesto, USA, 1999, pp Cheli R, Mortellaro C: La dermatite digitale del bovino. Proceedings of the 8 th International Meeting on Diseases of Cattle, Milan, Italy, 1974, pp Guard C: Recognising and managing infectious causes of lameness in cattle. Proceedings of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners 27:80-82, Read DH, Walker RL: Pappilomatous digital dermatitis in California dairy cattle: Clinical and gross pathologic findings. J Vet Diagn Invest 10: 67-76, Shearer JK, Elliott JB: Pappilomatous digital dermatitis: Treatment and control strategies. Compend Cont Educ Pract Vet 20: , Toussaint Raven E: Cattle Footcare and Claw Trimming. Ipswich, UK, Farming Press Books, 1989, pp Zemljic B: Current investigations into cause of dermatitis digitalis in cattle. Proceedings of the 8 th International Symposium on Disorders of the Ruminant Digit, Banff, Canada, 1994, pp Zemljic B: Treponema s.p.p. as a possible cause of pappilomatous digital dermatitis on dairy farms in Slovenia, Proceedings of the 3 rd Central European Buiatric Congress, Milovy, Czech Republic, 2001, pp. 380

20 CORRELATION OF THE STAGE OF LESION TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TREATMENT OF DIGITAL DERMATITIS Harinath Bathina, 1 Joy Lising, 1 Thomas Hemling, 1 Joanne Siciliano-Jones 2 and Jordanna Calaman. 2 1 DeLaval, Kansas City, Missouri; 2 F.A.R.M.E. Institute, Homer, New York Introduction Losses from hairy heel warts disease (digital dermatitis, papillomatous digital dermatitis or PDD) continue to plague the nation s dairies 1. While extensive studies have been conducted on specific treatment compounds and their effects, there has been minimal investigation into the various stages of the disease itself and their susceptibility and/or resistance to treatment. In this study, the correlation between the stage of the disease at which treatment is initiated and the effectiveness of treatment is investigated. Materials and Methods The objective of this study was to examine initial lesion stage (proliferative, granulomatous, ulcerative) and its effect on treatment. Effectiveness of treatments in reducing pain, color and size of the lesions was evaluated in three separate bandage studies using a total of one hundred seventy-four cows according to standard methods. 2,3 The wart is first doused with treatment product, cotton balls saturated with the product are placed directly against the lesion and bandaged. Finally, duct tape is wrapped fully around the bandage to protect it from moisture, dirt, etc. After four days, the bandages are removed and the lesions evaluated. Improvement is defined as a decrease in score of at least one full unit for color, stage, and pain and a minimum decrease in size of 0.25 cm. Results and Conclusions: Previously published and unpublished research has shown a range of effectiveness and variability for treatment products for PDD. Potential reasons for the trial to trial difference can be attributed to several factors including housing conditions, weather, nutrition, and method of application. In this study we have attempted to determine if there is a correlation between the initial stage of the lesion and the treatment results. The results indicate that ulcerative Stage 3 lesion showed the greatest color change. Stage 1 proliferative lesion showed the greatest improvement in pain. However, reduction of size is not differentiated based on initial stage. References 1. Guard C, 1997, The cost of lameness. Hoof Trimmer s Association Hoof Health Conference Proceedings. 2. Hemling TC, Lampe J, 1998, Field trial models for the evaluation of hairy wart treatment products. NMC Annual Meeting Proceedings. 381

21 3. Britt JS, Berry SL, Shearer J, Hemling T, Steevens B, Dreher M, 1999, A uniform protocol for evaluating response to treatment of PDD lesions. The Bovine Practitioner, 33: 2,

22 EVALUATION OF THE EFFICACY OF THE PARENTERAL ADMINISTRATION OF SODIC CEPHALEXIN FOR THE TREATMENT OF THE BOVINE INTERDIGITAL PHLEGMON A.González S., 1 G. Fernández, 2 R. Guijarro, 3 E. Calvo, 3 L.M.Cebrián, 4 Puyuelo, R. 4 1 ANKA Cuidados de Pezuñas; 2 Patología Animal I, Facultad de Veterinaria de la U.C. de Madrid; 3 Departamento Técnico de Schering-Plough Animal Health; 4 Gabinete Técnico Veterinario (Zaragoza), Facultad de Veterinaria De Zaragoza; 5 Gabinete Tecnico Veterinario (Zaragoza) In many studies lameness is often considered as a disease instead as a symptom. Several diseases, local or systemic, can show lameness. To be able to establish the adequate treatment first an ethnological diagnosis of lameness must be performed. When in a farm there is a lameness problem the most often metabolical and ambiently factors are interacting and what at first look seems a simple problem is a complex of causes and effects manifested in various lesions causing different types of lameness. To perform an efficacy study as well as to face the problem in the farm a working systematic must be established. To be able to perform a study of antibiotic efficacy only the cases where systemic antibiotic was the election treatment was considered. Even though during the duration of the study many cases were treated with parenteral antibiotic help, they were out of the study because local treatment was considered as the election treatment. All cows with lameness symptoms were introduced in the chute and functional trimming was performed to ensure the diagnostic. All animals with additional treatment (bandage or foot blocks) were separated from the study. Foot baths were not applied during the duration of the study. Evaluation of efficacy of antibiotic was only performed on interdigital phlegmon cases. Study has been carried in a farm on the South Spain with 950 milking cows and 250 dry cows. Study has been carried with an observer A who register cumulative observations as lameness score and lesions score. Another person B was performing treatment. Cows were scored from day 0 before treatment until day 7. Results were compared with a control group treated with a conventional antibiotic treatment. The success average of treatment of both group cephalexin and control group are higher than those found at prior studies. The implication of farm workers during the study duration is told as one of the major reasons of precocity of diagnosis and thus the success of treatment References 1. Morck DW, Olson ME, Louie TJ: Comparison of Ceftiofur sodium and oxytetracycline for treatment of acute interdigital phlegmon (foot rot) in feedlot cattle. J Am Vet Med Assoc 212(2): , 1998 (January). 2. Braun RK, Bates DB, Shearer JK: Efficacy of amoxicillin trihydrate for the treatment of experimentally induced foot rot in cattle. Am J Vet Res 48(12): , 1987 (December) 383

23 3. Toussaint R.E. Cattle Footcare and Claw Trimming. Farming press, Greenough P.R.: Lameness in Cattle. 3 rd ed. Saunders,

24 SEROLOGICAL AND CLINICAL RESPONSE OF CATTLE TO FARM SPECIFIC DIGITAL DERMATITIS BACTERINS D.J. Keil, A. Liem, D.L. Stine, and G.A. Anderson ImmTech, Antioch Road, Bucyrus, KS Several lines of evidence now indicate that invasive spirochetes (Treponema sp.) play a significant role in the pathogenesis of bovine digital dermatitis (DD). The purpose of this work was to evaluate the serologic response of calves to an inactivated bacterin based on Spirochete antigens and the clinical response of dairy cattle to bacterins produced from farm specific spirochete isolates. For the serologic portion of the study, mixed breed bovine calves with no history of digital dermatitis were vaccinated with monovalent and bivalent Treponema sp. bacterins. Serum samples were evaluated using an ELISA. No anti-treponema antibodies were detected in non-vaccinated or placebo controls. Increases in anti-treponema antibody levels were detected in both vaccinated groups. Maximum antibody levels were achieved after three vaccinations. For the clinical portion of the study, farm specific DD bacterins were produced for two farms. The incidence of DD in vaccinated and nonvaccinated control animals was compared at several points following immunization. A 91 and 79 percent reduction in DD lesions was noted on the two farms respectively. The results of this work suggest that immunization of cattle with an inactivated Treponema sp. bacterin results in a humoral immune response and a significant reduction of clinical disease. Treponema sp. bacterins should be considered as part of a multidisciplinary approach to controlling DD. 385

25 PREVENTIVE EFFECTS OF FOOTBATH ON LAMENESS: USE, MISUSE AND ABUSE I. Nowrouzian 1 and S.M. Karbalaei Seyed Javad Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tehran University The traditional usage of footbath in dairy farms to prevent lameness as a result of digital disorders is reported cosmopolitan. Although this procedure is believed to have a hygienic effect, there is a few evidence supporting its necessity or potential application for therapy. In a retrospective study, data were collected from 267 dairy farms located in the suburbs of Tehran, Iran from March 1989 to February Full records of lameness cases as well as the details of herd size, footbath design and sitting, type and concentration of chemical used and frequency of footbath were obtained through the questionnaires which completed at each time interval during the entire period of study. Results indicated that footbath had only 32% positive effect in preventing lameness due to a proper usage which included suitable concentration of disinfectants or antibiotics, location and size of the bath, changing the solution after each passage, etc. On the other hand in 42% of the dairy farms, there were evidence of repeated outbreaks of lameness in particular digital and interdigitial lesions after the improper usage or abusage of footbath such as solution concentrations, failure of solution change after each passage or duration of the passage. Interestingly, in 26% of the dairy farms, where footbath was not used on a regular basis or, the solution regimen was not properly used, there was no record of acute digital or interdigital lesions. However, there were evidence of individual aggravated chronic lesions of the horny tissue of the claws. From the results of this study we found that footbath if, properly use, could have some preventive effect to reduce the population of the causative agents for responsible lameness. On the other hand misuses or abuses can lead to destructive damage on claws in dairy farms. References 1. Davies RC: Effects of regular formalin footbaths on the incidence of foot lameness in dairy cattle. Vet Rec 111:394, Shearer JK, Vanamstel S: Your footbath: friend or foe: Hoard's dairy man, October 25:721,