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Step by Step: Detection, Diagnosis, Control and Treatment of Ruminant...
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Step by Step: Detection, Diagnosis, Control and Treatment of Ruminant Lameness and Foot Diseases

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 7968

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Laura E. Green

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Institute for Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Interests: epidemiology; infectious diseases; lameness; ruminants; welfare
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We want ruminants to live long and healthy lives in order to minimize their impact on climate change and antimicrobial resistance. Despite considerable research and knowledge exchange, lameness continues to be prevalent and debilitating in ruminants worldwide, and a reduction in the prevalence and incidence of lameness in herds and flocks would improve their quality of life, and contribute positively to these global challenges.

We are in the midst of a wave of novel technologies being employed to address lameness in ruminants. The aim of this Special Issue is to collect recent research on the enhanced detection, diagnosis, control, and treatment of lameness and foot diseases in ruminants, with the aim of highlighting advances and further challenges regarding this important subject.

Prof. Dr. Laura E. Green
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • ruminant lameness
  • detection and diagnosis
  • prevention and treatment
  • housing and environment
  • automation
  • diagnostic tools
  • epidemiology and modelling

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 280 KiB  
Article
Farm-Level Risk Factors for Lameness in 659 German Dairy Herds Kept in Loose Housing Systems
by Anna Tillack, Roswitha Merle, Kerstin-Elisabeth Müller, Martina Hoedemaker, Katharina Charlotte Jensen, Andreas W. Oehm, Marcus Klawitter and Annegret Stock
Animals 2024, 14(17), 2578; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14172578 - 4 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1165
Abstract
Six hundred fifty-nine farms in three regions of Germany (North: n = 240, East: n = 247, and South: n = 172) were included in the study, which aims at determining the association of management-related risk factors with farm-level lameness in German dairy [...] Read more.
Six hundred fifty-nine farms in three regions of Germany (North: n = 240, East: n = 247, and South: n = 172) were included in the study, which aims at determining the association of management-related risk factors with farm-level lameness in German dairy herds. For each risk factor, a generalised linear regression model with negative binomial distribution and logit link was built. Results showed that cows housed in deep-bedded cubicles had a lower risk of being lame than cows housed in other cubicle types. A larger cubicle width was associated with a lower risk of being lame. Feeding a total mixed ration was associated with lower lameness prevalence (compared to feeding a partial mixed ration or single components). For first lactation cows, lameness assessment performed daily (compared to less than daily) and during other work tasks (compared to lameness assessment as a separate work task) were associated with lower risk for lameness. Finally, the present study provided evidence for crucial associations of management-related risk factors with lameness in German dairy cows, especially in the fields of cubicle design, feeding management, and lameness assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Step by Step: Detection, Diagnosis, Control and Treatment of Ruminant Lameness and Foot Diseases)
11 pages, 409 KiB  
Article
Footbathing and Foot Trimming, and No Quarantine: Risks for High Prevalence of Lameness in a Random Sample of 269 Sheep Flocks in England, 2022
by Katharine Eleanor Lewis, Martin Green, Rachel Clifton, Emma Monaghan, Naomi Prosser, Elizabeth Nabb and Laura Green
Animals 2024, 14(14), 2066; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14142066 - 14 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1702
Abstract
Since 2004, the prevalence of lameness in sheep flocks in England has reduced as farmers have adopted evidence-based management practices to control lameness. In 2011, the Farm Animal Welfare Council proposed a target prevalence of <2% lameness in sheep by 2021. This study [...] Read more.
Since 2004, the prevalence of lameness in sheep flocks in England has reduced as farmers have adopted evidence-based management practices to control lameness. In 2011, the Farm Animal Welfare Council proposed a target prevalence of <2% lameness in sheep by 2021. This study investigated whether that target had been achieved and determined which practices were associated with prevalence of lameness. A postal questionnaire was sent to 1000 randomly selected farmers to investigate the prevalence of lameness and management practices in 2022. The geometric mean prevalence of lameness was <2% in ewes and lambs, but the median was 3%; approximately 26% flocks had <2% lameness. Data were analysed using robust variable selection with multivariable linear models. Farmers that quarantined ewes for ≥3 weeks and did not use foot bathing or foot trimming to prevent lameness had 40–50% lower prevalence of lameness than those not using these practices. Fewer farmers (19.0%) were always using parenteral antimicrobials to treat footrot, an effective practice, than in previous research (49.7%). We conclude that the target of <2% lameness in England has been achieved by 26% of farmers, and further work is required for more farmers to follow the evidence-based management practices to minimise lameness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Step by Step: Detection, Diagnosis, Control and Treatment of Ruminant Lameness and Foot Diseases)
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16 pages, 1496 KiB  
Article
Identification of Predictive Biomarkers of Lameness in Transition Dairy Cows
by Ana S. Cardoso, Alison Whitby, Martin J. Green, Dong-Hyun Kim and Laura V. Randall
Animals 2024, 14(14), 2030; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14142030 - 10 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1670
Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify with a high level of confidence metabolites previously identified as predictors of lameness and understand their biological relevance by carrying out pathway analyses. For the dairy cattle sector, lameness is a major challenge with a [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to identify with a high level of confidence metabolites previously identified as predictors of lameness and understand their biological relevance by carrying out pathway analyses. For the dairy cattle sector, lameness is a major challenge with a large impact on animal welfare and farm economics. Understanding metabolic alterations during the transition period associated with lameness before the appearance of clinical signs may allow its early detection and risk prevention. The annotation with high confidence of metabolite predictors of lameness and the understanding of interactions between metabolism and immunity are crucial for a better understanding of this condition. Using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with authentic standards to increase confidence in the putative annotations of metabolites previously determined as predictive for lameness in transition dairy cows, it was possible to identify cresol, valproic acid, and gluconolactone as L1, L2, and L1, respectively which are the highest levels of confidence in identification. The metabolite set enrichment analysis of biological pathways in which predictors of lameness are involved identified six significant pathways (p < 0.05). In comparison, over-representation analysis and topology analysis identified two significant pathways (p < 0.05). Overall, our LC-MS/MS analysis proved to be adequate to confidently identify metabolites in urine samples previously found to be predictive of lameness, and understand their potential biological relevance, despite the challenges of metabolite identification and pathway analysis when performing untargeted metabolomics. This approach shows potential as a reliable method to identify biomarkers that can be used in the future to predict the risk of lameness before calving. Validation with a larger cohort is required to assess the generalization of these findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Step by Step: Detection, Diagnosis, Control and Treatment of Ruminant Lameness and Foot Diseases)
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14 pages, 1473 KiB  
Article
Using Object-Oriented Simulation to Assess the Impact of the Frequency and Accuracy of Mobility Scoring on the Estimation of Epidemiological Parameters for Lameness in Dairy Herds
by Rachel Clifton, Robert Hyde, Edna Can, Matthew Barden, Al Manning, Andrew Bradley, Martin Green and Luke O’Grady
Animals 2024, 14(12), 1760; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14121760 - 11 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1278
Abstract
Mobility scoring data can be used to estimate the prevalence, incidence, and duration of lameness in dairy herds. Mobility scoring is often performed infrequently with variable sensitivity, but how this impacts the estimation of lameness parameters is largely unknown. We developed a simulation [...] Read more.
Mobility scoring data can be used to estimate the prevalence, incidence, and duration of lameness in dairy herds. Mobility scoring is often performed infrequently with variable sensitivity, but how this impacts the estimation of lameness parameters is largely unknown. We developed a simulation model to investigate the impact of the frequency and accuracy of mobility scoring on the estimation of lameness parameters for different herd scenarios. Herds with a varying prevalence (10, 30, or 50%) and duration (distributed around median days 18, 36, 54, 72, or 108) of lameness were simulated at daily time steps for five years. The lameness parameters investigated were prevalence, duration, new case rate, time to first lameness, and probability of remaining sound in the first year. True parameters were calculated from daily data and compared to those calculated when replicating different frequencies (weekly, two-weekly, monthly, quarterly), sensitivities (60–100%), and specificities (95–100%) of mobility scoring. Our results showed that over-estimation of incidence and under-estimation of duration can occur when the sensitivity and specificity of mobility scoring are <100%. This effect increases with more frequent scoring. Lameness prevalence was the only parameter that could be estimated with reasonable accuracy when simulating quarterly mobility scoring. These findings can help inform mobility scoring practices and the interpretation of mobility scoring data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Step by Step: Detection, Diagnosis, Control and Treatment of Ruminant Lameness and Foot Diseases)
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16 pages, 877 KiB  
Article
Epidemiology of Digital Dermatitis in Western Canadian Feedlot Cattle
by Sarah Erickson, Calvin Booker, Jiming Song, Eugene Janzen, Murray Jelinski and Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein
Animals 2024, 14(7), 1040; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14071040 - 29 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1380
Abstract
Digital dermatitis (DD) is an emerging disease in feedlot cattle. Our objective was to identify animal- and feedlot-level risk factors for DD by analyzing individual animal health records (n = 1,209,883) and feedlot-level records from western Canadian feedlots (n = 28) [...] Read more.
Digital dermatitis (DD) is an emerging disease in feedlot cattle. Our objective was to identify animal- and feedlot-level risk factors for DD by analyzing individual animal health records (n = 1,209,883) and feedlot-level records from western Canadian feedlots (n = 28) between 2014 and 2018, inclusive. The risk of a DD diagnosis was higher (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 2.08, 95% CI 1.52 to 2.86) in cattle sourced from confined background operations (CB) versus cattle sourced from auction markets (AM). Conversely, ranch direct (RD) cattle were (IRR = 0.02, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.30) lower risk than AM cattle of being diagnosed with DD. The risk of being diagnosed with DD was higher in females than in males. The magnitude of the risk in females over males was influenced by annual DD incidence in low morbidity years (2014, 2017, and 2018) (IRR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.27 to 3.19), medium morbidity years (2016) (IRR = 2.95, 95% CI 1.64 to 5.33), and high morbidity years (2015) (IRR = 5.41, 95% CI 3.27 to 8.95). At the feedlot-level, the risk of a diagnosis of DD was lower in small capacity (SCF) versus large capacity feedlots (LCF) (IRR = 0.24, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.76). Future research should focus on identifying factors that may propagate disease transmission between cattle of different sexes and from different acquisition sources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Step by Step: Detection, Diagnosis, Control and Treatment of Ruminant Lameness and Foot Diseases)
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