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Aravamuthan S, Walleser E, Döpfer D. Benchmarking analysis of computer vision algorithms on edge devices for the real-time detection of digital dermatitis in dairy cows. Prev Vet Med 2024; 231:106300. [PMID: 39126985 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
Digital dermatitis (DD) is a bovine claw disease responsible for ulcerative lesions on the coronary band of the foot. It causes significant animal welfare and economic losses to the cattle industry. Early detection of DD can lead to prompt treatment and decrease lameness. Current detection and staging methods require a trained individual to evaluate the interdigital space on each foot for clinical signs of DD. Computer vision (CV), a type of artificial intelligence for image analysis, has demonstrated promising results on object detection tasks. However, farms require robust solutions that can be deployed in harsh conditions including dust, debris, humidity, precipitation, other equipment issues. The study aims to train, deploy, and benchmark DD detection models on edge devices. Images were collected from commercial dairy farms with the camera facing the interdigital space on the plantar surface of the foot. Images were scored for M-stages of DD by a trained investigator using the M-stage DD classification system. Models were trained to detect and score DD lesions and embedded on an edge device. The Tiny YOLOv4 model deployed on a CV specific integrated camera module connected to a single board computer achieved a mean average precision (mAP) of 0.895, an overall prediction accuracy of 0.873, and a Cohen's kappa of 0.830 for agreement between the computer vision model and the trained investigator. The model reached a final inference speed of 40 frames per second (FPS) and ran stably without any interruptions. The CV model was able to detect DD lesions on an edge device with high performance and speed. The CV tool can be used for early detection and prompt treatment of DD in dairy cows. Real-time detection of DD on edge device will improve health outcomes, while simultaneously decreasing labor costs. We demonstrate that the deployed model can be a low-power and portable solution for real-time detection of DD on dairy farms. This result is a step towards applying CV algorithms to veterinary medicine and implementing real-time detection of health outcomes in precision farming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srikanth Aravamuthan
- Department of Medical Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison 53706, United States
| | - Emil Walleser
- Department of Medical Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison 53706, United States
| | - Dörte Döpfer
- Department of Medical Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison 53706, United States.
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Kovács L, Kézér FL, Ruff F, Czirok M, Bakony M, Jurkovich V. Cardiac autonomic responses to transrectal examination and parlor milking of lame and nonlame dairy cows. J Dairy Sci 2024; 107:7245-7255. [PMID: 38788839 DOI: 10.3168/jds.23674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
We studied the changes in the heart rate variability of lame and nonlame dairy cows in response to transrectal examination (TRE) and parlor milking. We hypothesized that lame cows experience greater stress, manifested in heart rate variability parameters, that serves as an argument to promote more caution in the everyday handling of lame animals. In the study, we selected 55 lame (with lesions on at least one hoof, otherwise clinically healthy, with locomotion scores 4 and 5 of 5-point scores) and 55 nonlame (clinically healthy, with locomotion scores 1 and 2 of 5-point scores) cows. The heart rate, root mean square of successive beat-to-beat intervals (RMSSD), the normalized unit of the high-frequency (HF) component of the spectral analysis and Poincaré measures (SD2/SD1) were compared between lame and nonlame cows during 5 distinct stages of TRE and 7 stages of parlor milking. Heart rate, RMSSD, and SD2/SD1 showed similar patterns during TRE and milking, while HF remained fairly constant during the studied phases. No distinct RMSSD, HF, or SD2/SD1 changes were observed during the phases expected to elicit a stress response. Between-group differences were only observed in terms of HF. Baseline HF was higher in lame cows than in nonlame ones, and such a difference in direction was observed throughout the whole procedure. During milking and TRE, the heart rate, RMSSD, and SD2/SD1 values showed temporal changes in times of higher physical activity: moving to and waiting in the holding pen and moving into the milking stalls in the parlor for preparation in both lame and nonlame cows. The differences in baseline HF (normalized units) between lame and nonlame cows cannot be fully explained based on available information. The lack of a distinct, stress-related change in heart rate variability parameters in both groups can originate in methodological challenges inherent in animal heart rate variability measurements in field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Kovács
- Department of Animal Husbandry and Animal Welfare, Institute of Animal Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Gödöllő, H-2100 Hungary
| | - F L Kézér
- Bona Adventure Research & Development Ltd, Gödöllő, H-2100 Hungary
| | - F Ruff
- Department of Methodology, Hungarian Central Statistical Office, Budapest, H-1024, Hungary
| | - M Czirok
- Department of Animal Husbandry and Animal Welfare, Institute of Animal Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Gödöllő, H-2100 Hungary
| | - M Bakony
- Centre for Translational Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, H-1085 Hungary.
| | - V Jurkovich
- Centre for Animal Welfare, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, H-1078 Hungary
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McPherson A, Tranter B, Phipps A, Laven R, House J, Zadoks RN, Rowe S. Etiology and epidemiology of digital dermatitis in Australian dairy herds. J Dairy Sci 2024; 107:5924-5941. [PMID: 38331178 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-24258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) is an important cause of lameness in dairy cows worldwide. However, very little is known about this disease in Australian herds, which are predominantly managed on pasture. The primary objectives of this cross-sectional study were to describe the presence and prevalence of BDD in Australian dairy herds and to characterize the microbiota of healthy skin and M4 lesions of BDD-affected, pasture-managed cows. Cows from 71 dairy herds were examined at milking time to identify the presence of BDD lesions. True prevalence was estimated using Bayesian methods with informative priors for sensitivity and specificity. Biopsy samples (n = 60) were collected from cows with and without BDD lesions in 7 pasture-based herds. The microbiota in the superficial and deep strata of each tissue biopsy were characterized via sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the bacterial ribosomal RNA gene. Lesions were detected in 1,817 (11.5%) of 15,813 cows and in 68 of 71 (95.8%) herds. The median herd-level apparent and true prevalences of BDD were 8.5% and 18.1%, respectively, but prevalences varied considerably between farms. On farms with BDD, M4 lesions accounted for 70% to 100% of all lesions (interquartile range = 95.1%-100%, median = 100%); M2 lesions (i.e., large ulcerative lesions) were observed at low prevalence (<2.2%) in the few herds (7/71, 9.9%) where they were found. There was a significant difference in the composition of the microbiota between healthy skin and M4 lesions but not between superficial and deep tissue layers. Several gut- and effluent-associated bacterial taxa, including Lentimicrobium and Porphyromonas, which have previously been associated with BDD, were abundant in BDD lesions but not in control biopsies. Our study supports the idea that such taxa are involved in, although possibly not essential to, lesion development and persistence in pasture-managed cows in Australia. Our results also suggest that Dichelobacter may contribute to the disease process. We conclude that BDD is likely to occur in most Australian dairy farms, but that further studies are needed to identify its effect on cow welfare and productivity. Further investigation of the etiology of BDD in Australian dairy herds is also necessary to inform prevention and control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew McPherson
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Camden, New South Wales, 2570, Australia
| | - Bill Tranter
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4810, Australia; Tableland Veterinary Service, Malanda, Queensland, 4885, Australia
| | - Ash Phipps
- Rochester Veterinary Practice, Rochester, Victoria, 3561, Australia
| | - Richard Laven
- Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4474, New Zealand
| | - John House
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Camden, New South Wales, 2570, Australia
| | - Ruth N Zadoks
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Camden, New South Wales, 2570, Australia
| | - Sam Rowe
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Camden, New South Wales, 2570, Australia.
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Leclercq A, Ask K, Mellbin Y, Byström A, Serra Bragança FM, Söderlind M, Telezhenko E, Bergsten C, Haubro Andersen P, Rhodin M, Hernlund E. Kinematic changes in dairy cows with induced hindlimb lameness: transferring methodology from the field of equine biomechanics. Animal 2024; 18:101269. [PMID: 39216156 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2024.101269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Lameness is a common issue on dairy farms, with serious implications for economy and animal welfare. Affected animals may be overlooked until their condition becomes severe. Thus, improved lameness detection methods are needed. In this study, we describe kinematic changes in dairy cows with induced, mild to moderate hindlimb lameness in detail using a "whole-body approach". Thereby, we aimed to identify explicable features to discriminate between lame and non-lame animals for use in future automated surveillance systems. For this purpose, we induced a mild to moderate and fully reversible hindlimb lameness in 16 dairy cows. We obtained 41 straight-line walk measurements (containing > 3 000 stride cycles) using 11 inertial measurement units attached to predefined locations on the cows' upper body and limbs. One baseline and ≥ 1 induction measurement(s) were obtained from each cow. Thirty-one spatial and temporal parameters related to limb movement and inter-limb coordination, upper body vertical displacement symmetry and range of motion (ROMz), as well as pelvic pitch and roll, were calculated on a stride-by-stride basis. For upper body locations, vertical within-stride movement asymmetry was investigated both by calculating within-stride differences between local extrema, and by a signal decomposition approach. For each parameter, the baseline condition was compared with induction condition in linear mixed-effect models, while accounting for stride duration. Significant difference between baseline and induction condition was seen for 23 out of 31 kinematic parameters. Lameness induction was associated with decreased maximum protraction (-5.8%) and retraction (-3.7%) angles of the distal portion of the induced/non-induced limb respectively. Diagonal and lateral dissociation of foot placement (ratio of stride duration) involving the non-induced limb decreased by 8.8 and 4.4%, while diagonal dissociation involving the induced limb increased by 7.7%. Increased within-stride vertical displacement asymmetry of the poll, neck, withers, thoracolumbar junction (back) and tubera sacrale (TS) were seen. This was most notable for the back and poll, where a 40 and 24% increase of the first harmonic amplitude (asymmetric component) and 27 and 14% decrease of the second harmonic amplitude (symmetric component) of vertical displacement were seen. ROMz increased in all these landmarks except for TS. Changes in pelvic roll main components, but not in the range of motion of either pitch or roll angle per stride, were seen. Thus, we identified several kinematic features which may be used in future surveillance systems. Further studies are needed to determine their usefulness in realistic conditions, and to implement methods on farms.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Leclercq
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - K Ask
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Y Mellbin
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - A Byström
- Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - F M Serra Bragança
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - M Söderlind
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - E Telezhenko
- Department of Biosystems and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
| | - C Bergsten
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - P Haubro Andersen
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - M Rhodin
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - E Hernlund
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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Swartz D, Shepley E, Gaddis KP, Burchard J, Cramer G. Descriptive evaluation of a camera-based dairy cattle lameness detection technology. J Dairy Sci 2024:S0022-0302(24)01017-8. [PMID: 39033913 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2024-24851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Lameness in dairy cattle is a clinical sign of impaired locomotion, mainly caused by painful foot lesions, compromising the US dairy industry's economic, environmental, and social sustainability goals. Combining technology and on farm data may be a more precise and less labor-intensive lameness detection tool, particularly for early detection. The objective of this observational study was to describe the association between average weekly autonomous camera-based (AUTO) locomotion scores and hoof trimming (HT) data. The AUTO data were collected from 3 farms from April 2022 to March 2023. Historical farm HT data were collected from March 2016 to March 2023 and used to determine cow lesion history and date of HT event. The HT events were categorized as a regular HT (TRIM; n = 2290) or a HT with a lesion recorded (LESION; n = 670). Events with LESION were sub-categorized based on lesion category: digital dermatitis (DD; n = 276), sole ulcer (SU; n = 79), white line disease (WLD; n = 141), and other (n = 174). The data also contained the leg of the LESION, classified as front left (FL; n = 54), front right (FR; n = 146), rear left (RL; n = 281), or rear right (RR; n = 183) leg with 6 events missing the leg. Cows' HT histories were classified as follows: cows with no previous recorded instance of any lesion were classified as TRIM0 (n = 1554). The first instance of any hoof lesion was classified as LESION1 (n = 238). This classification was retained until a subsequent TRIM occurred - recorded as TRIM1 (n = 632). The next unique instance of any lesion following a TRIM1 was classified as LESION2 (n = 86). Any LESION events occurring after LESION1 or LESION2 without a subsequent TRIM were considered a hoof lesion recurrence and classified as LESIONRE1 (n = 164) and LESIONRE2 (n = 22), respectively. TRIM events after LESION2 or LESION2RE (n = 104) or LESION events after LESIONRE1 or LESIONRE2 were classified as LESION_OTHER (n = 160). The AUTO scores from -28 to -1 days prior to the HT event were summarized into weekly scores and included if cows had at least 1 observation per week in the 4 weeks before the event. For all weeks, LESION cows had a higher median AUTO score than TRIM cows. Cows with TRIM0 had the lowest and most consistent median weekly score compared to LESION and other TRIM classifications. Before HT cows with TRIM0 and TRIM1, both had median score increases of 1 across the 4 weeks, while the LESION categories had an increase of 4 to 8. Scores increased with each subsequent LESION event compared to the previous LESION event. Cows with SU lesions had the highest median score across the 4 weeks, WLD had the largest score increase, and DD had the lowest median score and score increase. When grouping a LESION event by leg the hoof lesion was found on, the AUTO scores for four groups displayed comparable median values. Due to the difference between TRIM and LESION events, this technology shows potential for the early detection of hoof lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Swartz
- University of Minnesota, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine., St. Paul, MN, USA.
| | - E Shepley
- University of Minnesota, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine., St. Paul, MN, USA
| | | | - J Burchard
- Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding, Bowie, MD, USA
| | - G Cramer
- University of Minnesota, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine., St. Paul, MN, USA
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Stoddard G, Cramer G. Observational study evaluating the association of hoof trimming with dairy cattle behavior and milk yield in Canada and the United Kingdom. JDS COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 5:322-326. [PMID: 39220847 PMCID: PMC11365343 DOI: 10.3168/jdsc.2023-0493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
The objective of this observational study was to describe the associations between preventive hoof trimming (HT) of cows with no lesions and several behavior- and productivity-outcome measures including activity, lying behavior, and milk yield. A convenience sample of 4 freestall farms in the United Kingdom (n = 2) and Canada (n = 2) were recruited for the study. Inclusion criteria for herds included having a regular trim schedule and use of a specific pedometer system. Cows were trimmed as per their farm's regular protocol and schedule and all HT events were recorded. Only cows with no lesions present on the first recorded HT event were used in the analysis. Activity (steps/d), resting time (min/d), and resting bouts (bouts/d) were recorded daily by pedometers and total daily milk yield (kg/d) was recorded by the farm's milk recording system. Cow-level data such as DIM, breed, and parity were collected from the farm's herd management software. A generalized linear mixed repeated measures model with an exchangeable correlation structure was built to compare the outcome for 7 d following HT to baseline measures for each outcome of interest. For each outcome the average from the 5 d before HT was used as a baseline. All models included the baseline status, lactation number, season, farm, and DIM as covariates. Days from HT and its interaction with farm were included in all models. A total of 1,573 cows with no lesion recorded in their first HT were included in the analysis. Activity and resting time were inversely related on the day of HT, with activity increasing on 3 out of 4 farms (+59 to +84 steps/d) and resting time decreasing (-28 to -52 min/d). Following the day of HT, activity decreased to levels lower than those reported at baseline and resting time increased compared with baseline on most farms. There was a reduction in milk yield on the day of HT on 3 out of 4 farms and a reduction in average yield across the 7 d following trimming for all farms (range: 0.6 to 1.3 kg/d). Results were found to be farm dependent. The impact of the degree of change from baseline in behaviors and milk yield reported in this study on welfare of the cow is unclear, but the results suggest that alterations in the outcomes evaluated can persist beyond the day of trimming compared with baseline, necessitating further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. Stoddard
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108
- Purina Animal Nutrition, Arden Hills, MN 55126
| | - G. Cramer
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108
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Anagnostopoulos A, Barden M, Griffiths BE, Bedford C, Winters M, Li B, Coffey M, Psifidi A, Banos G, Oikonomou G. Association between a genetic index for digital dermatitis resistance and the presence of digital dermatitis, heel horn erosion, and interdigital hyperplasia in Holstein cows. J Dairy Sci 2024; 107:4915-4925. [PMID: 38331180 PMCID: PMC11245669 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-24136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Digital dermatitis (DD) is a polybacterial disease endemic to most UK dairy farms. It poses a major financial and welfare threat and is characterized by high incidence and recurrence rates. We aimed to investigate the association between the UK EBV for resistance to digital dermatitis, the digital dermatitis index (DDI), and the frequency of DD, heel horn erosion (HHE), and interdigital hyperplasia (IH) in a population of Holstein dairy cows. We enrolled and genotyped 2,352 cows from 4 farms in a prospective cohort study. Foot lesion records were recorded by veterinary surgeons for each animal at 4 time points during a production cycle, starting at approximately 2 mo before calving and ending in late lactation. Importantly, these records were not used in the calculation of the DDI. Lesion records were matched to the animal's own DDI (n = 2,101) and their sire's DDI (n = 1,812). Digital dermatitis index values in our study population ranged from -1.41 to +1.2 and were transformed to represent distance from the mean expressed in SD. The relationship between the DDI and the presence of DD was investigated using a logistic regression model, with farm, parity, and a farm-parity interaction fitted as covariates. A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to evaluate the relationship between HHE and DDI with farm fitted as a covariate. Finally, a univariable logistic regression model with DDI as explanatory variable was used to investigate the relationship between IH and DDI. The odds ratio of an animal being affected by DD was 0.69 for 1 SD increase in the animal's DDI (95% CI = 0.63-0.76). The odds of HHE and IH were 0.69 (95% CI = 0.62-0.76) and 0.58 (95% CI = 0.49-0.68) respectively for 1 SD increase in DDI. The adjusted probability of DD was 32% (95% CI = 27-36%) for cows with mean DDI value of 0, while it was 24% (95% CI = 20-29%) in cows with a DDI value of +1. Sire DDI breeding values were standardized in the same way and then binned into terciles creating an ordinal variable representing bulls of high, medium, and low genetic merit for DD resistance. The daughters of low genetic merit bulls were at 2.05 (95% CI = 1.60-2.64), 1.96 (95% CI = 1.53-2.50), and 2.85 (95% CI = 1.64-5.16) times greater odds of being affected by DD, HHE, and IH, respectively, compared with the daughters of high genetic merit bulls. The results of this study highlight the potential of digital dermatitis genetic indexes to aid herd management of DD, and suggest that breeding for resistance to DD, alongside environmental and management control practices, could reduce the prevalence of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Anagnostopoulos
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Liverpool, CH64 7TE, United Kingdom
| | - M Barden
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Liverpool, CH64 7TE, United Kingdom
| | - B E Griffiths
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Liverpool, CH64 7TE, United Kingdom
| | - C Bedford
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Liverpool, CH64 7TE, United Kingdom
| | - M Winters
- Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, Coventry, CV3 4PE, United Kingdom
| | - B Li
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Scotland's Rural College, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, United Kingdom
| | - M Coffey
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Scotland's Rural College, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, United Kingdom
| | - A Psifidi
- Department of Clinical Science and Services, Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, United Kingdom
| | - G Banos
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Scotland's Rural College, Roslin Institute Building, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, United Kingdom
| | - G Oikonomou
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Liverpool, CH64 7TE, United Kingdom.
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Urban-Chmiel R, Mudroň P, Abramowicz B, Kurek Ł, Stachura R. Lameness in Cattle-Etiopathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1836. [PMID: 38929454 PMCID: PMC11200875 DOI: 10.3390/ani14121836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The aim of this review was to analyse the health problem of lameness in dairy cows by assessing the health and economic losses. This review also presents in detail the etiopathogenesis of lameness in dairy cattle and examples of its treatment and prevention. This work is based on a review of available publications. In selecting articles for the manuscript, the authors focused on issues observed in cattle herds during their clinical work. Lameness in dairy cattle is a serious health and economic problem around the world. Production losses result from reduced milk yield, reduced feed intake, reproductive disorders, treatment costs, and costs associated with early culling. A significant difficulty in the control and treatment of lameness is the multifactorial nature of the disease; causes may be individual or species-specific and may be associated with the environment, nutrition, or the presence of concomitant diseases. An important role is ascribed to infectious agents of both systemic and local infections, which can cause problems with movement in animals. It is also worth noting the long treatment process, which can last up to several months, thus significantly affecting yield and production. Given the high economic losses resulting from lameness in dairy cows, reaching even >40% (depending on the scale of production), there seems to be a need to implement extensive preventive measures to reduce the occurrence of limb infections in animals. The most important effective preventive measures to reduce the occurrence of limb diseases with symptoms of lameness are periodic hoof examinations and correction, nutritional control, and bathing with disinfectants. A clean and dry environment for cows should also be a priority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Urban-Chmiel
- Department of Veterinary Prevention and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-033 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Pavol Mudroň
- Clinic of Ruminants, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 04181 Košice, Slovakia;
| | - Beata Abramowicz
- Department and Clinic of Animal Internal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-033 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Łukasz Kurek
- Department and Clinic of Animal Internal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-033 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Rafał Stachura
- Agromarina Sp Z o.o., Kulczyn-Kolonia 48, 22-235 Hańsk Pierwszy, Poland;
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Roche SM, Renaud DL, Saraceni J, Kelton DF, DeVries TJ. Invited review: Prevalence, risk factors, treatment, and barriers to best practice adoption for lameness and injuries in dairy cattle-A narrative review. J Dairy Sci 2024; 107:3347-3366. [PMID: 38101730 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-23870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Lameness and leg injuries are both painful and prevalent across the dairy industry, and are a major welfare concern. There has been a considerable amount of research focused on investigating the risk factors associated with lameness and injuries and how they might be prevented and treated. The objectives of this narrative review were to summarize herd-level prevalence estimates, risk factors, strategies for prevention, control, and treatment of these conditions, and the barriers to best practice adoption for lameness and injuries on dairy farms. There is a relatively high within-herd prevalence of lameness on dairy farms globally, with a recent systematic review estimating the mean prevalence at 22.8%. Similarly, there is a relatively high prevalence of hock injuries, with within-herd estimates ranging from 12% to 81% of cows affected. Knee and neck injuries have been reported to be less common, with 6% to 43% and 1% to 33%, respectively. Numerous risk factors have been associated with the incidence of lameness, notably housing (e.g., access to pasture, bedding depth, bedding type, flooring type, stall design), management (e.g., stall cleanliness, frequency of trimming, holding times, stocking density), and cow-level (e.g., body condition, parity, injured hocks) factors. Risk factors associated with hock injuries can be similarly classified into housing (e.g., bedding type and depth, outdoor access, parlor type, stall design), management (e.g., bedding depth, cleanliness), and cow (e.g., parity, days in milk, lameness) factors. Key preventative approaches for lameness include routine preventative and corrective hoof trimming, improving hoof cushioning and traction through access to pasture or adding rubber flooring, deep-bedded stalls, sand bedding, ensuring appropriate stocking densities, reduced holding times, and the frequent use of routine footbaths. Very little research has been conducted on hock, knee, and neck injury prevention and recovery. Numerous researchers have concluded that both extrinsic (e.g., time, money, space) and intrinsic (e.g., farmer attitude, perception, priorities, and mindset) barriers exist to addressing lameness and injuries on dairy farms. There are many diverse stakeholders in lameness and injury management including the farmer, farm staff, veterinarian, hoof trimmer, nutritionist, and other advisors. Addressing dairy cattle lameness and injuries must, therefore, consider the people involved, as it is these people who are influencing and implementing on-farm decisions related to lameness prevention, treatment, and control.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Roche
- Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1; ACER Consulting Ltd., Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 5L3
| | - D L Renaud
- Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1
| | - J Saraceni
- ACER Consulting Ltd., Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 5L3
| | - D F Kelton
- Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1
| | - T J DeVries
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1.
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Merin U, Gilad D, Jacoby S, Keynan B, Hefer Y, Lavon Y, Leitner G. Retrospective evaluation of udder recovery of cows with subclinical mastitis following treatment with acoustic pulse technology (APT) on commercial dairy farms and its economic impact. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303947. [PMID: 38820257 PMCID: PMC11142430 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Retrospective evaluation of udder recovery following treatment of the inflamed quarter with acoustic pulse technology (APT) of cows with subclinical mastitis was done on 4 Israeli commercial dairy farms. Here, we evaluated the APT treatment as a tool to manage subclinical mastitis and its economic consequences in commercial farms. Recovery of the infected glands following APT treatment was compared to the customary no-treatment (NT) for cows with subclinical mastitis. Over 2 years, 467 cows with subclinical mastitis were identified. Subclinical mastitis was defined by elevated somatic cell count (SCC; >1 × 106 cells/mL) in the monthly test-day milk sample; 222 cows were treated with APT and 245 cows were not treated and served as control. Differences between treatment groups in culling, milk quality, milk yield and bacterial elimination were analyzed. After treatment, cure from bacteria was calculated only for cows with pre-isolated bacteria. The percentage of sampled cows determined as cured (no bacterial finding) in the NT group was 32.7% (35/107) (30.9% Gram negative; 32.4% Gram positive) and in the APT-treated group, 83.9% (42/55) (89.4% Gram negative; 80.6% Gram positive). Culling rate due to mastitis was significantly lower (>90%) in the APT-treated vs. NT group. Recovery was 66.0% in the APT group compared to 11.5% in the NT group at 90 d post-treatment. Average milk volume per cow in the APT-treated group was 16.1% higher compared to NT cows. Based on the study, savings incurred by using APT to treat only subclinical cows per 100-cow herd can total $15,106/y, or $309 per treated subclinically infected cow.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Shamay Jacoby
- Institute of Animal Science, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel
| | | | | | - Yaniv Lavon
- Israel Cattle Breeders Association, Caesarea, Israel
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11
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Åkerström F, Bergsten C, Nyman AK. Association between hoof trimming frequency in primiparous cows and hoof health and survival in second lactation. J Dairy Sci 2024:S0022-0302(24)00839-7. [PMID: 38825125 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-24543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Lameness, mostly resulting from claw lesions, causes major welfare problems in the dairy industry. One way to prevent claw lesions is hoof trimming, but the overall effect and the optimal hoof trimming frequency are unknown. In a retrospective cohort study, we investigated the association between hoof trimming frequency in primiparous cows and hoof health and culling in second lactation. We based our analysis on breed, calving and culling data in the period 2015-2018 for 30,613 primiparous cows in 202 Swedish dairy herds. Of the cows enrolled, 20% were not hoof-trimmed, 30% were trimmed once, 34% were trimmed twice, 13% were trimmed 3 times, and 2% were trimmed ≥ 4 times. We used multivariable mixed-effect logistic and multivariable multinomial logistic regression models to investigate the association between trimming frequency and 2 outcomes: hoof lesions at first trimming occasion within 90 d from second calving and culling in second lactation within 300 d after second calving. In general, cows trimmed 2 or 3 times during first lactation were at lower odds of having claw lesions compared with cows that were not trimmed (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.62-0.71 and 0.60, 95% CI = 0.55-0.66, respectively) or cows trimmed once (OR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.75-0.85 and OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.66-0.79, respectively), and this beneficial effect was observed for most types of claw lesions. Moreover, cows trimmed 2, 3, or ≥ 4 times were at lower odds of being culled compared with cows that were not trimmed (OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.65-0.77, 0.68, 95% CI = 0.61-0.76 and 0.70, 95% CI = 0.54-0.90, respectively) or trimmed once (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.71-0.83, OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.66-0.82 and OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.59-0.97, respectively). In particular, 2 trimmings, compared with 1 or no trimming, lowered the relative risk-ratio of dying or being euthanized on-farm, or being culled due to claw and leg disorders. More than 1 hoof trimming in first lactation also reduced the relative-risk ratio of being culled for other reasons. In conclusion, 2 or 3 hoof trimmings during first lactation were generally beneficial for hoof health in early second lactation and survival in second lactation. These findings can help improve animal welfare and production by reducing claw lesions, and thereby lameness among dairy cows, which would increase the longevity of dairy cows and the sustainability of the dairy industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Åkerström
- Department of Biosystem and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-23053, Alnarp, Sweden; Department of Research and Development, Växa, Box 30204, SE-104 25, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - C Bergsten
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - A-K Nyman
- Department of Research and Development, Växa, Box 30204, SE-104 25, Stockholm, Sweden
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12
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Waldbauer M, Spackman E, Barkema HW, Pajor EA, Knauss S, Orsel K. Partial herd hoof trimming results in a higher economic net benefit than whole herd hoof trimming in dairy herds. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301457. [PMID: 38564596 PMCID: PMC10986923 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Sole ulcers, a common cause of lameness is the costliest non-infectious foot lesion in dairy cows and one of the most prevalent non-infectious foot lesions in freestall housing systems. Costs associated with sole ulcers are treatment costs, plus increased labor and decreased productivity and fertility. Routine hoof trimming is part of a strategy to manage sole ulcers. However, hoof trimming strategies differ among farms. The two most frequently applied strategies are: 1) partial herd hoof trimming with a 2-month interval between trims; and 2) whole herd hoof trimming at 6-month intervals. A Markov model was developed to investigate whether every 2 months partial herd hoof trimming or whole herd hoof trimming every 6 months was the most cost-effective strategy to avoid costs associated with sole ulcers. In this model, the net benefits for a 100-cow herd and the average productive life span of a dairy cow in intensive dairy systems of 3 years were evaluated. Partial herd hoof trimming was the most cost-effective strategy 100% of the time compared to whole herd hoof trimming, with a difference in 3-year net benefits of US$4,337 (95% CI: US$2,713-US$5,830). Based on sensitivity analyses, variables that were the sources of the biggest uncertainty in the model were herd size, the probability of being trimmed in a partial herd trim, and the prevalence of sole ulcers. To further investigate the impacts of herd size and of probability of being trimmed, various scenario analyses were conducted. With increasing herd size, the difference in net benefits in favor of partial herd hoof trimming increased even more. Scenario analyses about the probability of getting trimmed all indicated that targeted intervention increased the difference in net benefits in favor of partial herd hoof trimming. However, if the selection of cows to be trimmed in a partial herd trim was random, the whole herd hoof trimming strategy became cost-effective. Therefore, targeted selection and early intervention are necessary to decrease costs associated with sole ulcers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlena Waldbauer
- Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Eldon Spackman
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Herman W. Barkema
- Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Edmond A. Pajor
- Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | | | - Karin Orsel
- Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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13
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Ferraro S, Rousseau M, Dufour S, Dubuc J, Roy JP, Desrochers A. Evaluation of potassium monopersulfate footbath solution for controlling digital dermatitis in lactating dairy cattle. A randomized clinical trial. Res Vet Sci 2024; 170:105180. [PMID: 38359647 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2024.105180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Our objective was to assess potassium monopersulfate as a disinfectant used in footbath to control digital dermatitis (DD) in dairy cows. We hypothesized that a potassium monopersulfate solution would control DD. A 180-day randomized negative controlled trial was conducted in a 265-Holstein free-stall facility. Throughout the trial, foot bathing was performed bi-weekly using a split (left vs. right feet) footbath: one tub filled with 1% potassium monopersulfate (treatment), the other with tap water (control). Digital dermatitis lesions were scored during trimming chute examinations of the unwashed hind heels every 90 days using the modified M-scoring system. Digital dermatitis lesions were re-categorized into four variables: 1) inactive; 2) active; 3) any; 4) inactive or absence of DD lesions. Three longitudinal outcomes were characterized: risks of 1) developing a DD lesion; 2) reactivating an inactive DD lesion; 3) development of an inactive or the absence of the DD lesion. A generalized linear model was used to compare the variables and longitudinal outcomes between treated and control groups. Prevalence of active DD lesions increased from 12.5% to 39.9% between days 0 and 90. This significant increase in prevalence justified the discontinuation of the study on day 90 for ethical reasons. There was no statistical difference between treated and control groups for the first outcome (RR: 1.0; 95% CI: 0.62, 1.7), the second outcome (RR: 1.0; 95% CI: 0.62,-1.7); or the third outcome (RR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.37, 2.1). A 1% potassium monopersulfate footbath solution appears ineffective to control DD in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Ferraro
- Département de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 2M2, Canada; Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 7054, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Marjolaine Rousseau
- Département de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - Simon Dufour
- Département de pathologie et microbiologie, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 2M2, Canada; Regroupement FRQNT Op+lait, 3200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - Jocelyn Dubuc
- Département de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 2M2, Canada; Regroupement FRQNT Op+lait, 3200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - Jean-Philippe Roy
- Département de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 2M2, Canada; Regroupement FRQNT Op+lait, 3200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - André Desrochers
- Département de sciences cliniques, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, 3200 Sicotte, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec J2S 2M2, Canada
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14
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Frosth S, Eriksson HK, Rosander A. Development of a multiplex quantitative PCR assay for simultaneous detection of Treponema phagedenis, Treponema pedis, Treponema medium, and 'Treponema vincentii' and evaluation on bovine digital dermatitis biopsies. Vet Res Commun 2023; 47:1937-1947. [PMID: 37261642 PMCID: PMC10232342 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-023-10147-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) is a contagious foot disease with worldwide occurrence in dairy cattle. The disease causes lameness and reduced animal welfare as well as economic losses for the farmer. The aetiology is not fully established but associations have been made with Treponema spp. Today, BDD diagnosis is mainly based on visual inspection of cattle feet, therefore this study aimed to develop a multiplex quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay targeting Treponema phagedenis, Treponema pedis, Treponema medium, and 'Treponema vincentii' to aid in diagnosis. The assay was tested for specificity on 53 bacterial strains and in silico on 168 Treponema spp. genomes, representative of at least 24 species. In addition, 37 BDD biopsies were analysed and the results compared to another qPCR assay published during the study period, which we modified by combining into a multiplex qPCR. The qPCR developed herein had a detection limit of 10 copies of each target species per PCR reaction. Both qPCR assays showed 100% specificity when tested on bacterial strains, but the qPCR developed in this study detected 3.4% more T. phagedenis-positive biopsies of lesion category M1-M4.1 than the modified assay. To conclude, the developed qPCR assay detecting T. phagedenis, T. pedis, T. medium, and 'T. vincentii' has high analytical sensitivity and specificity and provides a useful complementary tool for diagnosis and epidemiological studies of BDD. The assay could possibly also be used for contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) as similar bacteriological profiles have been suggested for BDD and CODD, especially regarding certain Treponema spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Frosth
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7036, Uppsala, 750 07, Sweden.
| | - Hanna K Eriksson
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7024, Uppsala, 750 07, Sweden
| | - Anna Rosander
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7036, Uppsala, 750 07, Sweden
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15
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Amenu K, McIntyre KM, Moje N, Knight-Jones T, Rushton J, Grace D. Approaches for disease prioritization and decision-making in animal health, 2000-2021: a structured scoping review. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1231711. [PMID: 37876628 PMCID: PMC10593474 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1231711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
This scoping review identifies and describes the methods used to prioritize diseases for resource allocation across disease control, surveillance, and research and the methods used generally in decision-making on animal health policy. Three electronic databases (Medline/PubMed, Embase, and CAB Abstracts) were searched for articles from 2000 to 2021. Searches identified 6, 395 articles after de-duplication, with an additional 64 articles added manually. A total of 6, 460 articles were imported to online document review management software (sysrev.com) for screening. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 532 articles passed the first screening, and after a second round of screening, 336 articles were recommended for full review. A total of 40 articles were removed after data extraction. Another 11 articles were added, having been obtained from cross-citations of already identified articles, providing a total of 307 articles to be considered in the scoping review. The results show that the main methods used for disease prioritization were based on economic analysis, multi-criteria evaluation, risk assessment, simple ranking, spatial risk mapping, and simulation modeling. Disease prioritization was performed to aid in decision-making related to various categories: (1) disease control, prevention, or eradication strategies, (2) general organizational strategy, (3) identification of high-risk areas or populations, (4) assessment of risk of disease introduction or occurrence, (5) disease surveillance, and (6) research priority setting. Of the articles included in data extraction, 50.5% had a national focus, 12.3% were local, 11.9% were regional, 6.5% were sub-national, and 3.9% were global. In 15.2% of the articles, the geographic focus was not specified. The scoping review revealed the lack of comprehensive, integrated, and mutually compatible approaches to disease prioritization and decision support tools for animal health. We recommend that future studies should focus on creating comprehensive and harmonized frameworks describing methods for disease prioritization and decision-making tools in animal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kebede Amenu
- Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) Programme, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Veterinary, Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
- Animal and Human Health Program, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - K. Marie McIntyre
- Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) Programme, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Modelling, Evidence and Policy Group, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Nebyou Moje
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
| | - Theodore Knight-Jones
- Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) Programme, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Animal and Human Health Program, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Jonathan Rushton
- Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) Programme, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Delia Grace
- Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) Programme, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Food and Markets Department, Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom
- Animal and Human Health Program, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya
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16
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Af Sandeberg A, Båge R, Nyman AK, Agenäs S, Hansson H. Review: Linking animal health measures in dairy cows to farm-level economic outcomes: a systematic literature mapping. Animal 2023; 17:100971. [PMID: 37734363 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2023.100971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Farm animal health is an area of increasing interest to both the public and industry stakeholders. There is an ongoing debate on whether improving animal health, and thereby increasing welfare, is profitable or not. Improving animal health often requires investments in the farm or increases labour costs. As a result, the impact of animal health on farm economy is particularly interesting. This study systematically maps and assesses the available evidence in the published scientific literature regarding the link between farms' economic outcomes on dairy cow health, with the aim of identifying knowledge gaps in this field of research. In total, 59 peer-reviewed articles were included using a broad range of animal health variables and economic outcomes. We found a heterogeneous body of evidence in terms of both methods, animal health measures (AHMs) and economic outcome measures used. None of the included studies makes explicit causal claims between AHMs and economic outcomes. The results suggest that common production diseases such as clinical mastitis and lameness, which are painful and affect cow health and welfare, are costly for farmers. We found a knowledge gap and lack of evidence on the impact of animal health interventions on farms' economic outcomes, as well as the long-term effects of such interventions. Future research should aim to investigate the causal links between animal health and economic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Af Sandeberg
- Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7013, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - R Båge
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - A-K Nyman
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden; Växa, SE-10425 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - S Agenäs
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - H Hansson
- Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7013, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
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17
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Holzhauer M, Mars J, Holstege M, van der Heijden H. An In-House ELISA for Treponema Antibodies in Bulk Milk as Part of a Monitoring Tool for Claw Health in Dairy Herds. Vet Sci 2023; 10:571. [PMID: 37756093 PMCID: PMC10537149 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10090571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Digital dermatitis (DD) is a painful inflammation at the coronary band of the claws, a major cause of lameness in cattle and associated with infections with several Treponema spp. Clinical inspection of the feet is the best way to diagnose DD, but this is laborious and stressful for cattle. A simple diagnostic tool was developed to monitor DD prevalence at the herd level. An antibody ELISA based on antigens from four different Treponema spp. has been developed and validated in two field studies. In one study, bulk milk and individual milk samples of seven dairy herds, of which clinical claw scores were obtained, were tested. In the second study, bulk milk was tested from 110 herds of which clinical scores were obtained. A weak correlation between clinical scores of cows and the ELISA results in individual milk samples was observed. The ELISA response in bulk milk was higher in herds with higher mean clinical scores. Using the ELISA results in bulk milk, herds with a low or high proportion of cattle with DD lesions could be distinguished. This ELISA is useful to obtain insight into the DD status at the herd level, and is nowadays being used in a claw health monitoring program for dairy cattle in the Netherlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menno Holzhauer
- Bovine Health Department, Royal GD Animal Health, P.O. Box 9 7400 AA Deventer, The Netherlands
| | - Jet Mars
- R&D Department, Laboratory, Royal GD Animal Health, P.O. Box 9 7400 AA Deventer, The Netherlands
| | - Manon Holstege
- Epidemiology and Statistics Department, Royal GD Animal Health, P.O. Box 9 7400 AA Deventer, The Netherlands
| | - Harold van der Heijden
- R&D Department, Laboratory, Royal GD Animal Health, P.O. Box 9 7400 AA Deventer, The Netherlands
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18
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Robcis R, Ferchiou A, Berrada M, Raboisson D. Management of Digital Dermatitis in Dairy Herds: Optimization and Time Allocation. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:1988. [PMID: 37370498 DOI: 10.3390/ani13121988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study is to determine the most effective time allocation for digital dermatitis management and to quantify the marginal economic gain from extra time devoted to digital dermatitis management. The model simulating foot disease occurrence and the associated management was Dairy Health Simulator©. Then, an econometric model was applied to identify the relationship between the dairy workshop's gross margin and time for lameness management as well as the hourly marginal gain curve associated with lameness management. The gross margin was optimized under two constraints, i.e., the overall time spent for lameness management and the mean lameness duration (mimicking cow welfare). The results show that allocating less time to lameness detection and more to footbath application can contribute as follows: (i) reduces time spent for lameness management, (ii) maintains the best welfare level, and (iii) obtains the highest gross margin. The optimal time to devote to footbath application ranged from 17.8 to 22.3 h/month. A hiring strategy was investigated, and the break-even point ranged from 16.1 to 19.8 h/month. The recommended time to spend on footbath application is relatively important; therefore, stakeholders should consider the importance of lameness to the dairy industry and should devote enough time for footbath applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolphe Robcis
- Unité Mixte de Recherche, Animal Santé Territoires Risques Ecosystèmes, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, 34000 Montpellier, France
- Animal Santé Territoires Risques Ecosystèmes, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, Institut National de Recherche Agronomique et Environnement, University of Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, Université de Toulouse, 31300 Toulouse, France
| | - Ahmed Ferchiou
- Unité Mixte de Recherche, Animal Santé Territoires Risques Ecosystèmes, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, 34000 Montpellier, France
- Animal Santé Territoires Risques Ecosystèmes, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, Institut National de Recherche Agronomique et Environnement, University of Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, Université de Toulouse, 31300 Toulouse, France
| | - Mehdi Berrada
- Unité Mixte de Recherche, Animal Santé Territoires Risques Ecosystèmes, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, 34000 Montpellier, France
- Animal Santé Territoires Risques Ecosystèmes, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, Institut National de Recherche Agronomique et Environnement, University of Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, Université de Toulouse, 31300 Toulouse, France
| | - Didier Raboisson
- Unité Mixte de Recherche, Animal Santé Territoires Risques Ecosystèmes, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, 34000 Montpellier, France
- Animal Santé Territoires Risques Ecosystèmes, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, Institut National de Recherche Agronomique et Environnement, University of Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, Université de Toulouse, 31300 Toulouse, France
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19
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Jaques N, Turner SA, Vallée E, Heuer C, Lopez-Villalobos N. The Effect of Lameness on Milk Production of Dairy Goats. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:1728. [PMID: 37889634 PMCID: PMC10251923 DOI: 10.3390/ani13111728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Lameness on dairy goat farms is a welfare concern and could negatively affect milk production. This study's objective was to evaluate the effects of clinical lameness on the daily milk production of dairy goats. Between July 2019 and June 2020, 11,847 test-day records were collected from 3145 goats on three farms in New Zealand. Locomotion scoring of goats used a five-point scoring system (0 to 4). The dataset was split into two groups by lactation type, where goats were classified as being in seasonal lactation (≤305 days in milk) or extended lactation (>305 days in milk). A linear mixed model was used to analyze datasets using milk characteristics as the dependent variables. Severely lame goats (score 4) in seasonal and extended lactation produced 7.05% and 8.67% less milk than goats not lame, respectively. When the prevalence of severe lameness is between 5 and 20% of the herd, the estimated average daily milk income lost was between NZD 19.5 and 104 per day. This study established the negative impact of lameness on milk production and annual income in dairy goats on three farms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha Jaques
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand;
| | - Sally-Anne Turner
- Dairy Goat Co-Operative (NZ) Ltd., 18 Gallagher Drive, Melville, Hamilton 3206, New Zealand;
| | - Emilie Vallée
- EpiCentre, School of Veterinary Science, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand; (E.V.); (C.H.)
| | - Cord Heuer
- EpiCentre, School of Veterinary Science, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand; (E.V.); (C.H.)
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20
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Cramer G, Shepley E, Knauer W, Crooker BA, Wagner S, Caixeta LS. An iterative approach to the development of a sole ulcer induction model in Holstein cows. J Dairy Sci 2023:S0022-0302(23)00213-8. [PMID: 37164859 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Our objective was to develop a sole ulcer (SU) induction model that can be used to investigate new and more efficacious methods for the treatment and prevention of SU. Three iterations [phase (P)1, P2, and P3] of an SU induction model designed to mimic mechanical and presumed metabolic pathways for SU development were conducted. The results from P1 and P2 identified alterations for the subsequent phase. Each phase used cows with similar calving dates that were randomly assigned (n = 4) to treatments. Control cows (P1CON, P3CON) did not undergo any challenges to induce SU development. Treatment cows were challenged with a hoof block (B) applied to the right hind lateral hoof. Other treatments included restricted lying time (L), restricted feed intake (F), or systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration. Treatment comparisons were P1CON versus P1BL, P2B versus P2BL, and P3CON versus P3BLF and P3BLF+LPS for P1, P2, and P3, respectively. Pregnant nulliparous Holstein cows were used in P1 and P3, and the P1 cohort was used in P2 during mid-lactation [125.9 ± 7.20 d in milk (DIM)]. Challenges were applied during a set challenge period (P1: -14 to 14 DIM, P2: 126-168 DIM, P3: -14 to 28 DIM). The P1BL cows had a hoof block applied and lying time restricted for 5 h/d. The P2B and P2BL cows had a hoof block and P2BL cows also had their lying time restricted for 18 h/d for 2 d/wk. The P3BLF and P3BLF+LPS cows had a hoof block, 6 h/d of lying time restricted 2 d/wk, and had their DMI restricted by 30% for 2 d/wk. At weekly intervals during wk 1 to 3 postpartum, P3BLF+LPS cows received jugular administration of 0.031, 0.062, and 0.125 µg of LPS per kg of body weight, respectively. Primary response measurements included hoof lesion and locomotion scoring, lying time, hoof thermography, and weight distribution per hoof. No SU induction occurred but sole hemorrhages, a precursor to SU, occurred during the postchallenge period of all phases. Temperature of the blocked hoof at the end of the challenge period did not change for P3CON cows but increased by 5.5°C and 6.2°C for P3BLF and P3BLF+LPS, respectively. Notable increases in lameness and lack of weight-bearing on the blocked hind hoof occurred for challenge treatment cows during the challenge period of P2 and P3. These changes did not persist after the hoof blocks were removed, indicating that hoof blocks succeeded in altering cow gait mechanics, but not enough to induce long-term lameness or SU. Lying restriction challenged cows in P2 and P3, indicated by a compensatory increase in lying time on the day following lying restriction compared with that on the day before restriction. In P3, lying time had the greatest depression during restriction and compensation following restriction in P3BLF+LPS cows, with LPS challenges potentially increasing the other challenge's effects. Future iterations of the SU induction model should include hoof block use, evaluate longer and more frequent standing and inclusion of forced walking bouts, and include DMI and LPS metabolic challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Cramer
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108.
| | - E Shepley
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108
| | - W Knauer
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108
| | - B A Crooker
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108
| | - S Wagner
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Texas Tech University, Amarillo, TX 79106
| | - L S Caixeta
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108
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21
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Owusu-Sekyere E, Nyman AK, Lindberg M, Adamie BA, Agenäs S, Hansson H. Dairy cow longevity: Impact of animal health and farmers' investment decisions. J Dairy Sci 2023; 106:3509-3524. [PMID: 37028973 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
A dairy farmer's decision to cull or keep dairy cows is likely a complex decision based on animal health and farm management practices. The present paper investigated the relationship between cow longevity and animal health, and between longevity and farm investments, while controlling for farm-specific characteristics and animal management practices, by using Swedish dairy farm and production data for the period 2009 to 2018. We used the ordinary least square and unconditional quantile regression model to perform mean-based and heterogeneous-based analysis, respectively. Findings from the study indicate that, on average, animal health has a negative but insignificant effect on dairy herd longevity. This implies that culling is predominantly done for other reasons than poor health status. Investment in farm infrastructure has a positive and significant effect on dairy herd longevity. The investment in farm infrastructure creates room for new or superior recruitment heifers without the need to cull existing dairy cows. Production variables that prolong dairy cow longevity include higher milk yield and an extended calving interval. Findings from this study imply that the relatively short longevity of dairy cows in Sweden compared with some dairy producing countries is not a result of problems with health and welfare. Rather, dairy cow longevity in Sweden hinges on the farmers' investment decisions, farm-specific characteristics and animal management practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enoch Owusu-Sekyere
- Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7013, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension & Rural Development, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Agricultural Economics, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa.
| | - Ann-Kristin Nyman
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden; Växa Sverige, SE-104 25 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mikaela Lindberg
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7024, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Birhanu Addisu Adamie
- Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7013, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sigrid Agenäs
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7024, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden; The Beijer Laboratory for Animal Science, Faculty for Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, SLU, Box 7054, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Helena Hansson
- Department of Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7013, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
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22
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Robcis R, Ferchiou A, Berrada M, Ndiaye Y, Herman N, Lhermie G, Raboisson D. Cost of lameness in dairy herds: An integrated bioeconomic modeling approach. J Dairy Sci 2023; 106:2519-2534. [PMID: 36894430 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Foot disorders are costly health disorders in dairy farms, and their prevalence is related to several factors such as breed, nutrition, and farmer's management strategy. Very few modeling approaches have considered the dynamics of foot disorders and their interaction with farm management strategies within a holistic farm simulation model. The aim of this study was to estimate the cost of foot disorders in dairy herds by simulating strategies for managing lameness. A dynamic and stochastic simulation model (DairyHealthSim) was used to simulate the herd dynamics, reproduction management, and health events. A specific module was built for lameness and related herd-level management strategies. Foot disorder occurrences were simulated with a base risk for each etiology [digital dermatitis (DD), interdigital dermatitis, interdigital phlegmon, sole ulcer (SU), white line disease (WLD)]. Two state machines were implemented in the model: the first was related to the disease-induced lameness score (from 1 to 5), and the second concerned DD-state transitions. A total of 880 simulations were run to represent the combination of the following 5 scenarios: (1) housing (concrete vs. textured), (2) hygiene (2 different scraping frequencies), (3) the existence of preventive trimming, (4) different thresholds of DD prevalence detected and from which a collective footbath is applied to treat DD, and (5) farmer's ability to detect lameness (detection rate). Housing, hygiene, and trimming scenarios were associated with risk factors applied for each foot disorder etiologies. The footbath and lameness detection scenarios both determined the treatment setup and the policy of herd observance. The economic evaluation outcome was the gross margin per year. A linear regression model was run to estimate the cost per lame cow (lameness score ≥3), per case of DD and per week of a cow's medium lameness duration. The bioeconomic model reproduced a lameness prevalence varying from 26 to 98% depending on the management scenario, demonstrating a high capacity of the model to represent the diversity of the field situations. Digital dermatitis represented half of the total lameness cases, followed by interdigital dermatitis (28%), SU (19%), WLD (13%), and interdigital phlegmon (4%). The housing scenarios dramatically influenced the prevalence of SU and WLD, whereas scraping frequency and threshold for footbath application mainly determined the presence of DD. Interestingly, the results showed that preventive trimming allowed a better reduction in lameness prevalence than spending time on early detection. Scraping frequency was highly associated with DD occurrence, especially with a textured floor. The regression showed that costs were homogeneous (i.e., did not change with lameness prevalence; marginal cost equals average cost). A lame cow and a DD-affected cow cost €307.50 ± 8.40 (SD) and €391.80 ± 10.0 per year on average, respectively. The results also showed a cost of €12.10 ± 0.36 per week-cow lameness. The present estimation is the first to account for interactions between etiologies and for the complex DD dynamics with all the M-stage transitions, bringing a high level of accuracy to the results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolphe Robcis
- CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, France, ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, Université de Toulouse, ENVT, 31300 Toulouse, France.
| | - Ahmed Ferchiou
- CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, France, ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, Université de Toulouse, ENVT, 31300 Toulouse, France
| | - Mehdi Berrada
- CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, France, ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, Université de Toulouse, ENVT, 31300 Toulouse, France
| | - Youba Ndiaye
- CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, France, ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, Université de Toulouse, ENVT, 31300 Toulouse, France
| | - Nicolas Herman
- VetEconomics, Université de Toulouse, ENVT, 31300 Toulouse, France
| | - Guillaume Lhermie
- CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, France, ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, Université de Toulouse, ENVT, 31300 Toulouse, France; Department of Production Animal Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N1N4, Canada
| | - Didier Raboisson
- CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, Montpellier, France, ASTRE, CIRAD, INRAE, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, Université de Toulouse, ENVT, 31300 Toulouse, France
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23
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Pirkkalainen H, Döpfer D, Soveri T, Kujala-Wirth M. Comparison of ozonated water and acidified copper sulphate in prevention of digital dermatitis in dairy cows. Acta Vet Scand 2022; 64:41. [PMID: 36539792 PMCID: PMC9764538 DOI: 10.1186/s13028-022-00657-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Digital dermatitis (DD) is the most significant infectious hoof disorder of cattle in Europe. Hoof baths are one of the most common control methods. Copper sulphate and formalin are commonly used in hoof baths, but their use is problematic in many European countries for health, environmental and safety reasons. Ozonated water and acidified copper sulphate were tested as prevention of DD in a 5-month study. Data were derived from 302 hind feet of Holstein and Estonian Red cows (no. of cows = 151) from a commercial dairy farm in Estonia. Altogether 168 hind feet were included in the acidified copper sulphate group and 134 feet in the ozonated water group. Hoof bathing was carried out three days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) for two months and then two days a week (Mon, Wed) for three and a half months, in both groups. Ozonated water was sprayed on to the digital skin of hind feet of cows twice a day on treatment days, while the cows were eating. The copper sulphate bath consisted of copper sulphate (2%) mixed with an organic acid compound to acidify and ionize the solution. Cows walked through acidified copper sulphate solution twice a day on treatment days as they were exiting the milking parlor. DD negative and DD positive test results in both groups were compared and statistically tested for differences. The copper sulphate solution was more effective than ozonated water at preventing acute DD lesions. A random maximum likelihood model demonstrated that the odds ratio for DD in the ozonated water group was six times higher compared with DD in the acidified copper sulphate group. Most of the cows that were initially without any DD lesions (M0 + no other severe hoof lesion), remained lesion-free in both groups (copper sulphate group 97% and ozonated water group 88%). Despite trial design deficiencies, the findings indicate that acidified copper sulphate was a more effective solution in preventing DD than ozonated water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hertta Pirkkalainen
- grid.7737.40000 0004 0410 2071Department of Production Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Paroninkuja 20, 04920 Saarentaus, Finland
| | - Dörte Döpfer
- grid.14003.360000 0001 2167 3675Department of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, 53706 USA
| | - Timo Soveri
- grid.7737.40000 0004 0410 2071Department of Production Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Paroninkuja 20, 04920 Saarentaus, Finland
| | - Minna Kujala-Wirth
- grid.7737.40000 0004 0410 2071Department of Production Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Paroninkuja 20, 04920 Saarentaus, Finland
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YİĞİTARSLAN K, KIRBAŞ İ. Classification of digital dermatitis with image processing and machine learning methods. MEHMET AKIF ERSOY ÜNIVERSITESI VETERINER FAKÜLTESI DERGISI 2022. [DOI: 10.24880/maeuvfd.1133145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, it was aimed to perform the detection and grading of Digital Dermatitis (DD) disease, which is common in dairy cattle and causes serious economic losses, using artificial intelligence techniques in a computer environment with high accuracy without the need for any expert intervention.
Within the scope of the study, because of the examinations performed on 168 cows of Holstein breed, aged 4-7 years, whose lameness was detected in dairy farms located in the center and districts of Burdur region, pictures of lesions due to DD were taken, and 4 groups were formed according to the degree of size. The photographs obtained were first labelled according to the degree of disease by a faculty member specialized in podiatry. Afterwards, the tagged photographs were reproduced using artificial intelligence image augmentation techniques, and a sample of 1,000 datasets was carried out for each disease degree. The photographs that make up the dataset were processed using the inception v3 deep learning algorithm and more than 2,000 numerical features were extracted. Then, machine learning models were developed using 6 different machine learning algorithms to classify these features. The results obtained were examined in detail with the help of tables and graphics, and it showed that the developed artificial intelligence models could be used in the classification of DD case photos with a cumulative accuracy value above 0.87.
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Vermeersch AS, Geldhof P, Ducatelle R, Gansemans Y, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Deforce D, Opsomer G. Continuous activation of the IL-17F driven inflammatory pathway in acute and chronic digital dermatitis lesions in dairy cattle. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14070. [PMID: 35982087 PMCID: PMC9388621 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17111-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives of the present study were to get a deeper insight into the course of the inflammatory pathways of digital dermatitis lesions in dairy cattle by investigating the gene expression patterns throughout the different clinical stages (M0 to M4.1) of the disease. Normal skin samples (M0) were used as a reference for comparing the gene expression levels in the other M-stages through RNA Seq-technology. Principal component analysis revealed a distinct gene expression pattern associated with digital dermatitis lesions in comparison to healthy skin with a further clustering of the acute M1, M2 and M4.1 stages versus the chronic M3 and M4 stages. The majority of the up-and downregulated genes in the acute and chronic stages can be placed into a common 'core' set of genes involved in inflammation, such as A2ML1, PI3, CCL11 and elafin-like protein, whereas the most downregulated genes included keratins and anti-inflammatory molecules such as SCGB1D and MGC151921. Pathway analysis indicated the activation of the pro-inflammatory IL-17 signaling pathway in all the M stages through the upregulation of IL-17F. These results indicate that digital dermatitis is associated with an excessive inflammatory immune response concomitant with a disrupted skin barrier and impaired wound repair mechanism. Importantly, despite their macroscopically healed appearance, a significant inflammatory response (Padj < 0.05) was still measurable in the M3 and M4 lesions, potentially explaining the frequent re-activation of such lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Sofie Vermeersch
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Peter Geldhof
- Department of Translational Physiology, Infectiology and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Richard Ducatelle
- Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Yannick Gansemans
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Filip Van Nieuwerburgh
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dieter Deforce
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Geert Opsomer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, 9820, Merelbeke, Belgium.
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Ahlén L, Holmøy IH, Nødtvedt A, Sogstad ÅM, Fjeldaas T. A case-control study regarding factors associated with digital dermatitis in Norwegian dairy herds. Acta Vet Scand 2022; 64:19. [PMID: 35964105 PMCID: PMC9375421 DOI: 10.1186/s13028-022-00635-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Digital dermatitis (DD) is a contagious bovine foot disease causing painful lesions, lameness, and reduced animal welfare. Previous studies indicate a complex aetiology of the disease. The aim of this study was to compare DD negative and DD positive herds to identify factors associated with DD in Norwegian dairy herds by analysing data obtained in a questionnaire and data recorded in the Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording System (NDHRS). The questionnaire was e-mailed to the owners of all 380 herds recorded with DD in 2019 and to 1530 randomly selected herds with no recordings of DD. Altogether 559 dairy herds were included in the final study population, of which 113 was classified as DD positive (≥ one cow recorded with DD in NDHRS) and 446 as DD negative. When stratified by housing system, the ratio between DD positive and negative herds was 108/281 in free stalls and 5/165 in tie stalls. Multilevel logistic regression was used to model the association between potential risk factors and variables related to the detection and diagnosis of DD, and the outcome in the free-stall population. Geographical area (county) was included in the model as a random effect. Results In the final study population 108/113 (96%) of the DD positive herds were housed in free stalls versus 5/113 (4%) in tie stalls. The free-stall herds’ DD status was associated with purchase of cattle during the last 5 years (baseline: 0 animals, OR = 2.30 for category 12–27 animals, OR = 4.34 for 28–52 animals, and OR = 5.39 for ≥ 53 animals). The DD status was also associated with claw trimming frequency (Baseline: 1 < 2/year, OR = 0.41 for category < 1/year, and OR = 4.09 for ≥ 3/year), whether the claw trimming was done by a certified professional trimmer or not (baseline: ≤ 90% of the cows, OR = 3.98 for category ≥ 90% of the cows), cleaning of feet in the chute before trimming (baseline: no cleaning, OR = 1.98 for category cleaning), and alley flooring (baseline: slatted floor, OR = 2.36 for category solid floor). Conclusions Digital dermatitis was far more frequent in Norwegian dairy herds housed in free stalls versus those housed in tie stalls. In the free-stall herds purchase of cattle, increasing trimming frequency, use of certified professional trimmer, cleaning of the feet in the chute, and solid flooring in the alleys were associated with increased odds of recorded DD. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13028-022-00635-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Ahlén
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Ås, Norway.
| | - Ingrid Hunter Holmøy
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Ane Nødtvedt
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Ås, Norway
| | | | - Terje Fjeldaas
- Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Ås, Norway
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Fabbri G, Magrin L, Gottardo F, Armato L, Contiero B, Gianesella M, Fiore E. Development of an equation to screen for solar hemorrhages from digital cushion ultrasound texture analysis in veal calves at slaughter. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:899253. [PMID: 35967996 PMCID: PMC9372481 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.899253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Claw disorders are a relevant welfare issue in the cattle industry, fast and accurate diagnoses are essential for successful treatment and prevention. The present study aimed to develop an equation to assess the presence of solar hemorrhages from real-time ultrasound images texture analysis at slaughter. Eighty-eight hind feet were collected at the slaughterhouse from 44 Holstein male veal calves. The claws were trimmed by a veterinarian hoof-trimmer, approximately 30 min after the calves' slaughter, and classified into healthy and affected by solar hemorrhages. At the same time, ultrasound images were collected for each claw. Sole soft tissues' thickness was measured, and texture analysis was performed using MaZda software. The resulting parameters from sole soft tissues' measurements and texture analysis were screened with a stepwise linear discriminant analysis using the absence or presence (0/1) of solar hemorrhages as the dependent variable. Results from the stepwise analysis identified 9 variables (among 279) as predictors, and an equation was developed and used to predict the presence or absence of solar hemorrhages on the scanned claws by binary measure: values ≤0.5 counted as 0, while those >0.5 as 1. Validation of the equation was performed by testing predicted lesions (LESpred) against the clinically evaluated lesions (LESeval) with a confusion matrix, a ROC analysis, and a precision-recall curve. Results of the present study suggest that the equation proposed has a good potential for detecting effectively hemorrhages of the sole by ultrasound imaging texture means, and could be used to monitor unsatisfactory housing and management conditions at the farm level, and for early management intervention and prevention.
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Tsousis G, Boscos C, Praxitelous A. The negative impact of lameness on dairy cow reproduction. Reprod Domest Anim 2022; 57 Suppl 4:33-39. [PMID: 35862258 DOI: 10.1111/rda.14210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Lameness in modern dairy farms is a prevalent disorder, that negatively affects all aspects of production. Additionally, is a prevailing contributor to the decreased welfare of cows. Recent research has added valuable knowledge on the negative impacts of lameness on dairy cow reproduction. Lame cows have marked behavioural changes, as well as increased inflammatory and stress indicators compared to healthy herdmates. As a result, the functioning of the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis is significantly affected and leads to suppressed reproductive performance. Lame cows seem to be more prone to uterine infections post-partum, experience higher levels of negative energy balance, resume ovarian cyclicity to a lower proportion during puerperium and show decreased potential to conceive and higher pregnancy losses. Hormonal treatments of lame cows compensate for some of these disturbances yet fail to fully restore fertility potential. From the available scientific literature is apparent that compromised fertility due to lameness can only be achieved through prevention and prompt diagnosis and treatment of lame cows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Tsousis
- Clinic of Farm Animals, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Constantinos Boscos
- Clinic of Farm Animals, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Anastasia Praxitelous
- Clinic of Farm Animals, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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Browne N, Hudson CD, Crossley RE, Sugrue K, Kennedy E, Huxley JN, Conneely M. Lameness prevalence and management practices on Irish pasture-based dairy farms. Ir Vet J 2022; 75:14. [PMID: 35672794 PMCID: PMC9175467 DOI: 10.1186/s13620-022-00221-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Lameness is a painful disease, which negatively impacts dairy cow production and welfare. The aim of this observational study was to determine herd lameness prevalence, describe current lameness management practices and identify the presence of established risk factors for lameness on Irish pasture-based dairy farms. Farms were visited once during grazing (99 farms) and again during housing (85 farms). Lameness scoring was carried out at each visit (AHDB 0–3 scale); cows were classified as lame if they scored two or three. Farm management practices and infrastructure characteristics were evaluated via farmer questionnaires and direct measurements of farm infrastructure. Results Median herd-level lameness prevalence was 7.9% (interquartile range = 5.6 – 13.0) during grazing and 9.1% (interquartile range = 4.9 – 12.0) during housing; 10.9% of cows were lame at a single visit and 3.5% were lame at both visits (chronically lame or had a repeat episode of lameness). Fifty-seven percent of farmers were not familiar with lameness scoring and only one farm carried out lameness scoring. Only 22% of farmers kept records of lame cows detected, and 15% had a lameness herd health plan. Twenty-eight percent of farmers waited more than 48 h to treat a lame cow, and 21% waited for more than one cow to be identified as lame before treating. Six percent of farmers carried out routine trimming and 31% regularly footbathed (> 12 times per year). Twelve percent put severely lame cows in a closer paddock and 8% stated that they used pain relief to treat severely lame cows. Over 50% of farms had at least one cow track measurement that was classified as rough or very rough, and cow tracks were commonly narrow for the herd size. On 6% of farms, all cubicle beds were bare concrete (no matting or bedding) and on a further 6% of farms, there was a combination of cubicles with and without matting or bedding. On 56% of farms, all pens contained less than 1.1 cubicles per cow and on 28% of farms, a proportion of pens contained less than 1.1 cubicles per cow. Conclusions Overall, this study identified infrastructure and management practices which could be improved upon. The comparatively low lameness prevalence demonstrated, compared to fully housed systems, also highlights the benefits of a pasture-based system for animal welfare; however, there remains scope for improvement.
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Pirkkalainen H, Talvio I, Kujala M, Soveri T, Orro T. Acute phase response of sole ulcer, white line disease and digital dermatitis in dairy cows. Vet Anim Sci 2022; 17:100253. [PMID: 35669246 PMCID: PMC9163099 DOI: 10.1016/j.vas.2022.100253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Serum amyloid A, a marker of inflammation, was still elevated two weeks after treatment of sole ulcers. Body temperature and concentration of cytokine interleukin-6 declined from day 0 to day 7 in sole ulcer group. Sole ulcer is a chronic hoof disorder that heals slowly and therefore early detection, good management, and proper pain medication of cows with sole ulcers is important.
Hoof disorders cause lameness and welfare problems for dairy cattle. Acute phase proteins, including serum amyloid A and haptoglobin, with increased rectal temperature and interleukin-6 concentrations, are markers of acute phase response. This study assessed the inflammatory response of cows with either sole ulcer, white line disease or digital dermatitis compared to healthy cows. Another aim was to monitor the inflammatory response changes over time after diagnosis (at hoof trimming, seven and 14 days later) in cows with different hoof disorders. Serum amyloid A concentration in cows with sole ulcer was significantly higher compared with the control group (cows with no hoof lesions) within the two-week study period. Interleukin-6 and rectal temperature declined from day zero to day seven in the sole ulcer group. These results suggest that sole ulcers initiate a long lasting systemic inflammatory response in dairy cows.
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Mainau E, Llonch P, Temple D, Goby L, Manteca X. Alteration in Activity Patterns of Cows as a Result of Pain Due to Health Conditions. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12020176. [PMID: 35049798 PMCID: PMC8773241 DOI: 10.3390/ani12020176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary There are several conditions and diseases considered painful to cattle. One reason for the inconsistency in pain recognition and thus pain relief in cattle is the inadequate ability to identify and assess pain. In fact, both increased and/or reduced daily lying time can be indicative of pain in cattle. This review helps to properly interpret pain in cows through behavioural activity patterns and explores whether pain relief is capable to restore their normal activity. Abstract The main conditions and diseases considered painful in dairy cows are mastitis, lameness, calving (including dystocia and caesarean section) and metritis. The cattle literature reports that deviation from normal daily activity patterns (both increased and/or reduced daily lying time) can be indicative of painful conditions and diseases in cows. This narrative review discusses on how pain due to several health conditions in dairy cows modifies its activity pattern and explores if non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are capable of restoring it. Divergent outcomes may differ depending upon the painful cause, the severity and the moment, and consequently its interpretation should be properly explained. For instance, cows with clinical mastitis reduced their time lying and increased the number of lying bouts and stepping due to pain caused by the swollen udder when cows are lying. However, lame cows show longer lying times, with a lower number of lying bouts and longer and more variable lying bouts duration, as compared to non-lame cows. When the relationship between painful disorders and daily activity patterns is studied, factors such as parity, bedding type and severity of disease are important factors to take into consideration. The potential benefits of the NSAIDs treatment in painful health disorders depend upon the type of drug administered, its dosage and administration mode, and the time of administration relative to the painful health disorder. This narrative review can be used as a tool to properly interpret and grade pain in cows through behavioural activity patterns and proposes directions for future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Mainau
- AWEC Advisors SL, Ed. Eureka, Parc de Recerca de la UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-935811352
| | - Pol Llonch
- Department of Animal and Food Science, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain; (P.L.); (D.T.); (X.M.)
| | - Déborah Temple
- Department of Animal and Food Science, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain; (P.L.); (D.T.); (X.M.)
| | - Laurent Goby
- Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, Binger Str. 173, 55216 Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany;
| | - Xavier Manteca
- Department of Animal and Food Science, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain; (P.L.); (D.T.); (X.M.)
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Contribution of Precision Livestock Farming Systems to the Improvement of Welfare Status and Productivity of Dairy Animals. DAIRY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/dairy3010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the effects of human–dairy cattle interaction have been extensively examined, data concerning small ruminants are scarce. The present review article aims at highlighting the effects of management practices on the productivity, physiology and behaviour of dairy animals. In general, aversive handling is associated with a milk yield reduction and welfare impairment. Precision livestock farming systems have therefore been applied and have rapidly changed the management process with the introduction of technological and computer innovations that contribute to the minimization of animal disturbances, the promotion of good practices and the maintenance of cattle’s welfare status and milk production and farms’ sustainability and competitiveness at high levels. However, although dairy farmers acknowledge the advantages deriving from the application of precision livestock farming advancements, a reluctance concerning their regular application to small ruminants is observed, due to economic and cultural constraints and poor technological infrastructures. As a result, targeted intervention training programmes are also necessary in order to improve the efficacy and efficiency of handling, especially of small ruminants.
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Lai E, Danner AL, Famula TR, Oberbauer AM. Pleiotropic Loci Associated With Foot Disorders and Common Periparturient Diseases in Holstein Cattle. Front Genet 2021; 12:742934. [PMID: 34938311 PMCID: PMC8685441 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.742934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Lameness is an animal welfare issue that incurs substantial financial and environmental costs. This condition is commonly caused by digital dermatitis (DD), sole ulcers (SU), and white line disease (WLD). Susceptibility to these three foot disorders is due in part to genetics, indicating that genomic selection against these foot lesions can be used to reduce lameness prevalence. It is unclear whether selection against foot lesions will lead to increased susceptibility to other common diseases such as mastitis and metritis. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the genetic correlation between causes of lameness and other common health disorders to identify loci contributing to the correlation. Genetic correlation estimates between SU and DD and between SU and WLD were significantly different from zero (p < 0.05), whereas estimates between DD and mastitis, DD and milk fever, and SU and metritis were suggestive (p < 0.1). All five of these genetic correlation estimates were positive. Two-trait genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for each of these five pairs of traits revealed common regions of association on BTA1 and BTA8 for pairs that included DD or SU as one of the traits, respectively. Other regions of association were unique to the pair of traits and not observed in GWAS for other pairs of traits. The positive genetic correlation estimates between foot disorders and other health disorders imply that selection against foot disorders may also decrease susceptibility to other health disorders. Linkage disequilibrium blocks defined around significant and suggestive SNPs from the two-trait GWAS included genes and QTL that were functionally relevant, supporting that these regions included pleiotropic loci.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Anita M. Oberbauer
- Animal Science Department, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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Edwardes F, van der Voort M, Halasa T, Holzhauer M, Hogeveen H. Simulating the mechanics behind sub-optimal mobility and the associated economic losses in dairy production. Prev Vet Med 2021; 199:105551. [PMID: 34999442 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Hoof disorders and sub-optimal mobility (SOM) are economically important health issues in dairy farming. Although the dynamics of hoof disorders have an important effect on cow mobility, they have not been considered in previous simulation models that estimate the economic loss of SOM. Furthermore, these models do not consider the varying severities of SOM. The objective of this study was to develop a novel bio-economic simulation model to simulate the dynamics of 8 hoof disorders: digital dermatitis (DD), interdigital hyperplasia (HYP), interdigital dermatitis/heel-horn erosion (IDHE), interdigital phlegmon (IP), overgrown hoof (OH), sole haemorrhage (SH), sole ulcer (SU) and white-line disease (WLD), their role in SOM, and estimate the economic loss of SOM in a herd of 125 dairy cows. A Reed-Frost model was used for DD and a Greenwood model for the other 7 hoof disorders. Economic analysis was conducted per mobility score according to a 5-point mobility scoring method (1 = perfect mobility; 5 = severely impaired mobility) by comparing a scenario with SOM and one without SOM. Parameters used in the model were based on literature and expert opinion and deemed credible during model validation rounds. Results showed that the mean cumulative incidence for maximum mobility scores 2-5 SOM episodes were respectively 34, 16, 7 and <1 episodes per 100 cows per pasture period and 39, 19, 8, <1 episodes per 100 cows per housing period. The mean total annual economic loss due to SOM resulting from the hoof disorders under study was €15,342: €122 per cow per year. The economic analysis uncovered direct economic losses that could be directly linked to SOM episodes and indirect economic losses that could not be directly linked to SOM episodes but arose due to the presence of SOM. The mean total annual direct economic loss for maximum mobility score 2-5 SOM episodes was €1129, €3098, €4354 and €480, respectively. The mean total annual indirect economic loss varied considerably between the 5th and 95th percentiles: €-6174 and €19,499, and had a mean of €6281. This loss was composed of additional indirect culling due to SOM (∼65%) and changes in the overall herd milk production (∼35%) because of additional younger replacement heifers entering the herd due to increased culling rates. The bio-economic model presented novel results with respect to indirect economic losses arising due to SOM. The results can be used to stimulate farmer awareness and promote better SOM management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Edwardes
- Business Economics Group, Wageningnen University and Research, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Mariska van der Voort
- Business Economics Group, Wageningnen University and Research, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Tariq Halasa
- Section of Animal Welfare and Disease Control, Institute of Veterinary and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Menno Holzhauer
- GD Animal Health, P.O. Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, The Netherlands
| | - Henk Hogeveen
- Business Economics Group, Wageningnen University and Research, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Shahinfar S, Khansefid M, Haile-Mariam M, Pryce JE. Machine learning approaches for the prediction of lameness in dairy cows. Animal 2021; 15:100391. [PMID: 34800868 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2021.100391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Lameness is one of the costliest health problems, as well as a welfare concern in dairy cows. However, it is difficult to detect cows with possible lameness, or the ones that are at risk of becoming lame e.g. in the next week or so. In this study, we investigated the ability of three machine learning algorithms, Naïve Bayes (NB), Random Forest (RF) and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), to predict cases of lameness using milk production and conformation traits. The performance of these algorithms was compared with logistic regression (LR) as the gold standard approach for binary classification. We had a total of 2 535 lameness scores (2 248 sound and 287 unsound) and 29 predictor features from nine dairy herds in Australia to predict lameness incidence. Training was done on 80% of the data within each herd with the remainder used as validation set. Our results indicated that in terms of area under curve of receiver operating characteristics, there were negligible differences between LR (0.67) and NB (0.66) while MLP (0.62) and RF (0.61) underperformed compared to the other two methods. However, the F1-score in NB (27%) outperformed LR (1%), suggesting that NB could potentially be a more reliable method for the prediction of lameness in practice, given enough relevant data are available for proper training, which was a limitation in this study. Considering the small size of our dataset, lack of information about environmental conditions prior to the incidence of lameness, management practices, short time gap between production records and lameness scoring, and farm information, this study proved the concept of using machine learning predictive models to predict the incidence of lameness a priori to its occurrence and thus may become a valuable decision support system for better lameness management in precision dairy farming.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Shahinfar
- Agriculture Victoria Research, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia.
| | - M Khansefid
- Agriculture Victoria Research, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia
| | - M Haile-Mariam
- Agriculture Victoria Research, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia
| | - J E Pryce
- Agriculture Victoria Research, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia; School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia
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Pinheiro JS, De Vries A, Rodrigues JPP, Marcondes MI. Production costs, economic viability, and risks associated with compost bedded pack, freestall, and drylot systems in dairy farms. Animal 2021; 15:100404. [PMID: 34781157 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2021.100404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The adoption of intensive production systems, such as compost bedded pack (CB) and freestall (FS), has increased recently in tropical regions, mainly replacing the drylot system (DL). Thus, our objectives were to compare production costs, economic outcomes, and risk of dairy operations in CB, FS, and DL systems. We collected data from 2 181 Brazilian farms over 120 consecutive months; 960 farms (144 CB, 133 FS, and 683 DL) met our selection criteria. All costs were modeled for two animal production categories: milking cows and non-milking animals. We used a regression model that included linear and quadratic parameters, and we added the production system as a fixed variable for all parameters tested with this model. Consultant, year, herd, and herd × system interaction were included in the model as random variables. Further, we simulated annual technical and economic indexes per farm. In addition, we developed a risk analysis to measure the probability of negative profit of the farms based on a 14-year historical series of milk prices. All production costs were affected by the system. Feed, medicine, sundry, and labor costs per farm per year were greater in DL farms when milk yield (MY) was greater than 3 500 L/day. The variables such as milk yield, assets per liter, asset turnover rate, return on assets, operational profit, profit per cow, and per liter of milk variables were greater in CB and FS with high MY (>3 000 L/day). Nonetheless, DL had the greatest economic indexes with a lower MY (<3 000 L/day), lower operating costs, and greater economic outcomes. The risk analysis indicated that the probability of negative profit (risk) was reduced for CB and FS as MY increased, but DL had the lowest risk with low MY levels. In conclusion, we suggest DL as the most attractive system for farms with MY between 150 and 3 000 L of milk/day as the DL had the lowest risk and the greatest profit in this production scale. Despite similar outcomes for CB and FS in most of the farms, the profit per cow ($/year), assets turnover rate (%), risk (%) and expected profit ($/L) analysis indicated that CB could be recommended for farms with MY greater than 3 200 L of milk/day, whereas based on risk (%) and expected profit ($/L), FS would be the most profitable system in dairies producing more than 8 000 L of milk/day per farm.
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Affiliation(s)
- J S Pinheiro
- Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Av P.H.Rolfs, sn, Dep Zootecnia, Viçosa, MG 36570-900, Brazil
| | - A De Vries
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - J P P Rodrigues
- Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Xinguara, PA 68557-335, Brazil
| | - M I Marcondes
- Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
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Capion N, Raundal P, Foldager L, Thomsen PT. Status of claw recordings and claw health in Danish dairy cattle from 2013 to 2017. Vet J 2021; 277:105749. [PMID: 34537342 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2021.105749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Since 2009, Danish claw trimmers have been able to record claw health digitally during trimming. The records are owned by the farmer and can be used locally in the herd and on a large scale by breeding organisations to improve claw health. The objective of this study was to describe data on claw recording routines and describe the prevalence of digital dermatitis (DD), interdigital hyperplasia (IH), sole ulcer (SU) and white line abscess (WLA) recorded by claw trimmers (TrimmerID) at trimming. More than 5.18 million records of cows with claw recordings and 2.75 million records of claw trimming with 2.4 million concurrent claw diseases from 62 TrimmerIDs from 705,803 animals from 1635 herds over a 5-year period from 2013 to 2017 were included in the dataset. Data on cow level was used for the descriptive statistics. The data was restricted to, and grouped by, heifers from 12 months of age, first, second and third or older parity cows from the breeds Holstein, Danish Red Dairy, Jersey and crossbreds. The number of recorded trimmings per TrimmerID per year varied from 132 to 48,040 with a mean of 9556 and increased during the period studied. The overall prevalence across breed and parity groups of DD, IH, SU and WLA was 21%, 6%, 7% and 3%, respectively. The prevalence of the lesions remained quite constant during the 5-year period. DD was recorded in 95% of the herds in 2017. The prevalence of IH, SU and WLA increased with increasing parity. Digital recording of claw lesions may be a good indicator of claw health. However, the recording routines and quality of the recordings must be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Capion
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Agrovej 8, DK2630 Taastrup, Denmark.
| | - P Raundal
- SEGES, Agro Food Park 15, DK8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - L Foldager
- Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, DK8830 Tjele, Denmark; Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Allé 8, DK8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - P T Thomsen
- Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, DK8830 Tjele, Denmark
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Abstract
This Research Reflection provides an overview of three interrelated topics: (i) lameness in dairy cows, demonstrating the underpinning importance of the condition, (ii) dairy farmer detection, diagnosis and treatment of lameness and associated foot lesions as well as dairy farmer perceptions towards the condition and (iii) lameness detection technologies, and their potential application on farm to automate the detection of lameness in commercial dairy herds. The presented literature clearly demonstrates that lameness is a major health issue in dairy herds, compromising dairy cow welfare and productivity, and resulting in significant economic implications for dairy farmers. Despite this, dairy farmers fail to perceive lameness as a serious threat to their dairy business. This restricted perception of the importance of lameness may be a product of limited ability to detect lame cows. Many automated lameness detection technologies have been proposed to assist dairy farmers in managing their herds. However, limitations such as cost, performance and dairy farmer perception of the usefulness of these technologies, has lead to poor uptake. It can, therefore, be concluded that there is a need to more thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness of these technologies under on-farm conditions, potentially in the form of a demonstration farm network. This will allow generation of the necessary data required to show dairy farmers that these technologies are reliable and are economically rational for their dairy business.
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Khansefid M, Haile-Mariam M, Pryce JE. Including milk production, conformation, and functional traits in multivariate models for genetic evaluation of lameness. J Dairy Sci 2021; 104:10905-10920. [PMID: 34275628 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2020-20074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Lameness is a serious health and welfare issue that can negatively affect the economic performance of cows, especially on pasture-based dairy farms. However, most genetic predictions (GP) of lameness have low accuracy because lameness data are often incomplete as data are collected voluntarily by farmers in countries such as Australia. The objective of this study was to find routinely measured traits that are correlated with lameness and use them in multivariate evaluation models to improve the accuracy of GP for lameness. We used health events and treatments associated with lameness recorded by Australian farmers from 2002 to early 2019. The lameness incidence rates in Holstein and Jersey cows were 3.3% and 4.6%, respectively. We analyzed the records of 36 other traits (milk production, conformation, fertility, and survival traits) to estimate genetic correlations with lameness. The estimated heritability ± standard error (and repeatability ± standard error) for lameness in both Holstein and Jersey breeds were very low: 0.007 ± 0.002 (and 0.029 ± 0.002) and 0.005 ± 0.003 (and 0.027 ± 0.006), respectively, in univariate sire models. For the GP models, we tested including measurements of overall type to prediction models for Holsteins, stature and body length for Jersey, and milk yield and fertility traits for both breeds. The average accuracy of GP, calculated from prediction error variances, were 0.38 and 0.24 for Holstein and Jersey sires, respectively, when estimated using univariate sire models and both increased to 0.43 using multivariate sire models. In conclusion, we found that the accuracy of GP for lameness could be improved by including genetically correlated traits in a multivariate model. However, to further improve the accuracy of predictions of lameness, precise identification and recording incidences of hoof or leg disorder, or large-scale recording of locomotion and claw scores by trained personnel should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Khansefid
- Agriculture Victoria Research, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia.
| | - M Haile-Mariam
- Agriculture Victoria Research, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia
| | - J E Pryce
- Agriculture Victoria Research, AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia; School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia
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40
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Use of Bandaging in the treatment of Digital Dermatitis. FOLIA VETERINARIA 2021. [DOI: 10.2478/fv-2021-0019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
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.
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Neirurerová P, Strapák P, Strapáková E, Juhás P. Impact of Claw Disorders in Dairy Cattle on Health, Production and Economics and Practicable Preventive Methods. ACTA UNIVERSITATIS AGRICULTURAE ET SILVICULTURAE MENDELIANAE BRUNENSIS 2021. [DOI: 10.11118/actaun.2021.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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Lai E, Danner AL, Famula TR, Oberbauer AM. Genome-Wide Association Studies Reveal Susceptibility Loci for Noninfectious Claw Lesions in Holstein Dairy Cattle. Front Genet 2021; 12:657375. [PMID: 34122511 PMCID: PMC8194352 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.657375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Sole ulcers (SUs) and white line disease (WLD) are two common noninfectious claw lesions (NICL) that arise due to a compromised horn production and are frequent causes of lameness in dairy cattle, imposing welfare and profitability concerns. Low to moderate heritability estimates of SU and WLD susceptibility indicate that genetic selection could reduce their prevalence. To identify the susceptibility loci for SU, WLD, SU and/or WLD, and any type of noninfectious claw lesion, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed using generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) regression, chunk-based association testing (CBAT), and a random forest (RF) approach. Cows from five commercial dairies in California were classified as controls having no lameness records and ≥6 years old (n = 102) or cases having SU (n = 152), WLD (n = 117), SU and/or WLD (SU + WLD, n = 198), or any type of noninfectious claw lesion (n = 217). The top single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were defined as those passing the Bonferroni-corrected suggestive and significance thresholds in the GLMM analysis or those that a validated RF model considered important. Effects of the top SNPs were quantified using Bayesian estimation. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks defined by the top SNPs were explored for candidate genes and previously identified, functionally relevant quantitative trait loci. The GLMM and CBAT approaches revealed the same regions of association on BTA8 for SU and BTA13 common to WLD, SU + WLD, and NICL. These SNPs had effects significantly different from zero, and the LD blocks they defined explained a significant amount of phenotypic variance for each dataset (6.1-8.1%, p < 0.05), indicating the small but notable contribution of these regions to susceptibility. These regions contained candidate genes involved in wound healing, skin lesions, bone growth and mineralization, adipose tissue, and keratinization. The LD block defined by the most significant SNP on BTA8 for SU included a SNP previously associated with SU. The RF models were overfitted, indicating that the SNP effects were very small, thereby preventing meaningful interpretation of SNPs and any downstream analyses. These findings suggested that variants associated with various physiological systems may contribute to susceptibility for NICL, demonstrating the complexity of genetic predisposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Lai
- Animal Science Department, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Alexa L Danner
- Animal Science Department, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Thomas R Famula
- Animal Science Department, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Anita M Oberbauer
- Animal Science Department, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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New Treatment Option for Clinical and Subclinical Mastitis in Dairy Cows Using Acoustic Pulse Technology (APT). DAIRY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/dairy2020022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The effect of acoustic pulse technology (APT) on recovery, culling, milk yield, and economic benefits for 118 cows with subclinical mastitis was compared with a no-treatment control (59 vs. 59), and another 118 APT-treated cows with clinical mastitis were compared with antibiotic-treated controls (59 vs. 59). Recovery was defined as a decrease in somatic cell count (SCC) to <250 × 103 cells/mL in at least two out of three monthly milk recordings after treatments. For the subclinically infected cows, APT treatment resulted in 65.5% recovery, 0% culling, and additional milk yield of 2.74 L/cow per day compared to 35.6% recovery and 5.1% culling in the no-treatment controls. For the clinically infected cows, APT treatment resulted in 67.8% recovery, 6.8% culling, and additional milk yield of 3.9 L/cow per day compared to 35.6% recovery and 32.2% culling in the antibiotic-treated group. Bacteriological analysis was run for 95 (80%) cows with clinical mastitis (APT-46; AB-49). For cows with Escherichia coli infection, 85.7% (18/21) treated with APT recovered vs. 17.6% (3/17) in the antibiotic-treated group; for cows with streptococcal infection, 66.0% (12/18) in the APT-treated group recovered vs. 44.4% (8/18) in the antibiotic-treated group.
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Puerto MA, Shepley E, Cue RI, Warner D, Dubuc J, Vasseur E. The hidden cost of disease: II. Impact of the first incidence of lameness on production and economic indicators of primiparous dairy cows. J Dairy Sci 2021; 104:7944-7955. [PMID: 33865579 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2020-19585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Lameness is a persistent and underreported health and welfare problem in the dairy industry, resulting in reduced cow performance and profitability as well as early culling. The study objectives were (1) to quantify the impact of the first instance of lameness, at different stages of lactation, on production and economic performance, and (2) to further quantify the impacts of the first instance of lameness when only cows that remain in the herd for at least 100 d in milk (DIM) and those that remain for 305 DIM are included in the analysis. A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted using pre-existing data from animal health records and Dairy Herd Improvement Association records. Data were edited based on selected inclusion criteria, yielding a data set containing records from 15,159 first-lactation Holstein cows from 120 herds with year of first calving between 2003 and 2014. Lame cows were assigned to 1 of 4 groups based on when in the lactation the first event of lameness occurred: transition (1-21 DIM), early lactation (22-100 DIM), mid-lactation (101-200 DIM), or late lactation (201+ DIM). Mid- and late-lactation lame cows were also stratified by cumulative milk yield before the lameness event. Healthy cows (i.e., no recorded lameness event) were randomly assigned for each lactation stage, with mid-lactation healthy and late-lactation healthy cows similarly stratified. Production performance (cumulative milk, fat, and protein yield) and economic performance [milk value, margin over feed cost (MOFC), and gross profit] were analyzed using a mixed model with herd as a random effect. Cumulative milk yields were 811 to 1,290 kg lower for lame cows than for healthy cows, with milk component yields undergoing similar reductions. Reductions in milk yield contributed to losses in milk value (-Can$527 to -Can$1,083; -US$419 to -US$862) and MOFC (-Can$510 to -Can$774; -US$406 to -US$616). Higher losses were reported using gross profit (-Can$753 to -Can$1,052; -US$599 to -US$837), which includes all lameness-related costs. Production and performance losses were smaller when 100 DIM and 305 DIM thresholds were applied (i.e., exclusion of cows culled before 100 and 305 DIM, respectively), however, mid- and late-lactation lame cows maintained high levels of significant losses for all 6 variables analyzed. Lameness also led to higher levels of culling, masking losses for transition and early-lactation lame cows in the 305-DIM analysis. Increasing producer understanding of the costs associated with lameness not only serves to provide insight to producers for more informed culling decisions, but may also help producers weigh the costs of adopting new methods and technologies targeted at reducing on-farm lameness.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Puerto
- Department of Animal Science, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - E Shepley
- Department of Animal Science, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada.
| | - R I Cue
- Department of Animal Science, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - D Warner
- Department of Animal Science, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada; Lactanet, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3R4, Canada
| | - J Dubuc
- Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 7C6, Canada
| | - E Vasseur
- Department of Animal Science, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada
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Sellera FP, Barbosa BS, Gargano RG, Ríspoli VFP, Sabino CP, Ollhoff RD, Baptista MS, Ribeiro MS, de Sá LRM, Pogliani FC. Methylene blue-mediated antimicrobial photodynamic therapy can be a novel non-antibiotic platform for bovine digital dermatitis. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther 2021; 34:102274. [PMID: 33812078 DOI: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2021.102274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) is one of the most important diseases that effect dairy cows. Methylene blue-mediated antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (MB-APDT) emerges as a promising technique to treat superficial infections in bovines. METHODS Twenty BDD lesions located at the skin horn transition of the claw of pelvic limbs of 16 cows were treated by MB-APDT, using a red LED cluster (λ = 660 nm, irradiance =60 mW/cm2, exposure time = 40 s) combined with topical application of MB at 0.01 %; or by topical application of OXY (500 mg in 20 % solution). Each lesion was treated twice with an interval of 14 days. Lesions were weekly evaluated until day 28 by clinical analysis and by histological examination on days 0 and 28. RESULTS Both treatments led to a similar reduction of lesions area. At day 28, three lesions treated by OXY did not present completely recovery, whereas no lesions were observed in MB-APDT group. OXY resulted in a slight increase in type I and III collagen levels, while MB-APDT led to a significant increase in the total area of both collagen types. An abundant number of spirochetes were histologically observed in all lesions before treatments. On the 28th day, five lesions treated by OXY still presented a slight number of spirochetes, whereas in MB-APDT group no spirochetes were evidenced. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that MB-APDT is more effective than OXY and could be used in Veterinary practice to fight BDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fábio P Sellera
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; School of Veterinary Medicine, Metropolitan University of Santos, Santos, SP, Brazil.
| | - Bruna S Barbosa
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ronaldo G Gargano
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Caetano P Sabino
- BioLambda, Scientific and Commercial LTD, São Paulo, SP, Brazil; Department of Clinical Analysis, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Rudiger D Ollhoff
- Graduate Program in Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUCPR), Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Maurício S Baptista
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Martha S Ribeiro
- Center for Lasers and Applications, IPEN-CNEN/SP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Lilian R M de Sá
- Department of Pathology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Fabio C Pogliani
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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A New, Practical Animal Welfare Assessment for Dairy Farmers. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11030881. [PMID: 33808871 PMCID: PMC8003747 DOI: 10.3390/ani11030881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary To determine the level of welfare on a dairy farm is a complex task. There is no protocol available that can serve as a ‘gold standard’. The Welfare Quality protocol is the most extensive one, but it takes about a full day to perform. We, therefore, examined if it would be possible to replace the time-consuming parts, like lengthy behavioural observations, with simple measurements in the environment. This resulted in a new Welfare Monitor that can be executed in 1.5 h on a farm with 100 cows. Welfare assessment was appreciated by the farmers, and they responded to advice for improvements on their farm. Besides promoting better welfare, this approach also led to a better financial result for the farms. Abstract The Welfare Quality® assessment protocol (WQ) is the most extensive way to measure animal welfare. This study was set up to determine if resource-based welfare indicators, that are easier and faster to measure, could replace the more time consuming, animal-based measurements of the WQ. The WQ was applied on 60 dairy farms in the Netherlands, with good, moderate and poor welfare. The WQ protocol classified most farms (87%) as ‘acceptable’. Several of the animal-based measures of WQ correlated well with measures in the environment. Using these correlations, an alternative welfare assessment protocol (new Welfare Monitor) was designed, which takes approximately 1.5 h for a farm with 100 dairy cows. Because the opinion of farmers about welfare assessment is important if one wants to improve conditions for the cows at a farm, another objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the new Welfare Monitor for the farmer. Over two years, the farms were visited, and advice was given to improve the conditions at the farm. After the first welfare assessment and advice, farmers improved the conditions for their cows substantially. Farms where the category score had increased made more improvements on average than those that did not upgrade.
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Tracking Reservoirs of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in a Complex Microbial Community Using Metagenomic Hi-C: The Case of Bovine Digital Dermatitis. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10020221. [PMID: 33672258 PMCID: PMC7926801 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10020221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Bovine digital dermatitis (DD) is a contagious infectious cause of lameness in cattle with unknown definitive etiologies. Many of the bacterial species detected in metagenomic analyses of DD lesions are difficult to culture, and their antimicrobial resistance status is largely unknown. Recently, a novel proximity ligation-guided metagenomic approach (Hi-C ProxiMeta) has been used to identify bacterial reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) directly from microbial communities, without the need to culture individual bacteria. The objective of this study was to track tetracycline resistance determinants in bacteria involved in DD pathogenesis using Hi-C. A pooled sample of macerated tissues from clinical DD lesions was used for this purpose. Metagenome deconvolution using ProxiMeta resulted in the creation of 40 metagenome-assembled genomes with ≥80% complete genomes, classified into five phyla. Further, 1959 tetracycline resistance genes and ARGs conferring resistance to aminoglycoside, beta-lactams, sulfonamide, phenicol, lincosamide, and erythromycin were identified along with their bacterial hosts. In conclusion, the widespread distribution of genes conferring resistance against tetracycline and other antimicrobials in bacteria of DD lesions is reported for the first time. Use of proximity ligation to identify microorganisms hosting specific ARGs holds promise for tracking ARGs transmission in complex microbial communities.
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Tedeschi LO, Greenwood PL, Halachmi I. Advancements in sensor technology and decision support intelligent tools to assist smart livestock farming. J Anim Sci 2021; 99:6129918. [PMID: 33550395 PMCID: PMC7896629 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skab038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Remote monitoring, modern data collection through sensors, rapid data transfer, and vast data storage through the Internet of Things (IoT) have advanced precision livestock farming (PLF) in the last 20 yr. PLF is relevant to many fields of livestock production, including aerial- and satellite-based measurement of pasture’s forage quantity and quality; body weight and composition and physiological assessments; on-animal devices to monitor location, activity, and behaviors in grazing and foraging environments; early detection of lameness and other diseases; milk yield and composition; reproductive measurements and calving diseases; and feed intake and greenhouse gas emissions, to name just a few. There are many possibilities to improve animal production through PLF, but the combination of PLF and computer modeling is necessary to facilitate on-farm applicability. Concept- or knowledge-driven (mechanistic) models are established on scientific knowledge, and they are based on the conceptualization of hypotheses about variable interrelationships. Artificial intelligence (AI), on the other hand, is a data-driven approach that can manipulate and represent the big data accumulated by sensors and IoT. Still, it cannot explicitly explain the underlying assumptions of the intrinsic relationships in the data core because it lacks the wisdom that confers understanding and principles. The lack of wisdom in AI is because everything revolves around numbers. The associations among the numbers are obtained through the “automatized” learning process of mathematical correlations and covariances, not through “human causation” and abstract conceptualization of physiological or production principles. AI starts with comparative analogies to establish concepts and provides memory for future comparisons. Then, the learning process evolves from seeking wisdom through the systematic use of reasoning. AI is a relatively novel concept in many science fields. It may well be “the missing link” to expedite the transition of the traditional maximizing output mentality to a more mindful purpose of optimizing production efficiency while alleviating resource allocation for production. The integration between concept- and data-driven modeling through parallel hybridization of mechanistic and AI models will yield a hybrid intelligent mechanistic model that, along with data collection through PLF, is paramount to transcend the current status of livestock production in achieving sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis O Tedeschi
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
| | - Paul L Greenwood
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Armidale Livestock Industries Centre, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.,CSIRO Agriculture and Food, FD McMaster Research Laboratory Chiswick, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Ilan Halachmi
- Laboratory for Precision Livestock Farming (PLF), Agricultural Research Organization - The Volcani Center, Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Rishon LeZion, Israel
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Changes in Saliva Analytes Associated with Lameness in Cows: A Pilot Study. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10112078. [PMID: 33182458 PMCID: PMC7696794 DOI: 10.3390/ani10112078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Saliva may contain useful biomarkers which provide information about animal welfare using convenient and non-invasive sampling methods. In addition, the development of automated techniques of measuring analytes in saliva provides advantages from the technical point of view since they are cost-effective, reliable, and replicable. In this study, 21 salivary analytes measured by automated assays were tested as potential biomarkers of lameness, one of the most prevalent diseases in dairy cows producing significant economic losses. As a result, total esterase (TEA) showed increases in saliva in a group of 11 cows with lameness, decreasing when the lameness was solved after a specific treatment consisting of a hoof trimming and a medical treatment. In addition, TEA activity correlated with the severity of the lameness. Further studies using a larger population of cows with different causes of lameness and severity should be performed to determine the potential of TEA as a biomarker of lameness in cows. Abstract The possible changes in a panel of 21 salivary analytes on a population of cows with lameness before and after treating lameness by hoof trimming were analyzed. Then, the analytes that showed significant changes were studied in a larger population of cows with lameness and compared with healthy cows For this purpose, two groups of cows were made by a specialized veterinarian. One consisted of healthy cows with no external signs of diseases and no hematological or biochemical abnormalities, and showing no signs of lameness according to the numerical rating system of severity (NRS, 5-point scale); and the other composed of cows showing only lameness with a NRS of 3.1 ± 0.87 and a lesion scoring system (LSS, 4-point scale) of 3.3 ± 0.89. Both groups did not differ in parity (p = 0.140), days in milk (DIM) (p = 0.780), and body condition score (BCS) (p = 0.074). Initially, 21 biochemical analytes were determined in the saliva of six cows with lameness at the diagnosis time (T0) and twenty days after hoof trimming that successfully solved the lameness (TF). This exploratory study only showed significantly higher values in lipase (Lip) and total esterase (TEA) at T0 compared to TF (p < 0.001 and p = 0.034, respectively). When both analytes were measured in the additional five lame cows and the results of all the animals of the lame group (n = 11) were compared with the healthy group (n = 11), only TEA showed higher activities in the group of lame cows than healthy cows (p = 0.004). TEA was positively correlated with both NRS and LSS (r = 0.43, p = 0.004 and r = 0.35, p = 0.003). In conclusion, this study showed that cows with lameness in our experimental conditions had higher TEA values than healthy cows, and these values decreased after treatment. This is a pilot study, and further studies using a larger population of cows with lameness due to different causes and severity should be performed to determine the potential of TEA as a biomarker of lameness in cows.
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Lai E, Danner AL, Famula TR, Oberbauer AM. Genome-Wide Association Studies Reveal Susceptibility Loci for Digital Dermatitis in Holstein Cattle. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10112009. [PMID: 33142934 PMCID: PMC7693332 DOI: 10.3390/ani10112009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Digital dermatitis (DD) causes lameness in dairy cattle. To detect the quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with DD, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed using high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes and binary case/control, quantitative (average number of FW per hoof trimming record) and recurrent (cases with ≥2 DD episodes vs. controls) phenotypes from cows across four dairies (controls n = 129 vs. FW n = 85). Linear mixed model (LMM) and random forest (RF) approaches identified the top SNPs, which were used as predictors in Bayesian regression models to assess the SNP predictive value. The LMM and RF analyses identified QTL regions containing candidate genes on Bos taurus autosome (BTA) 2 for the binary and recurrent phenotypes and BTA7 and 20 for the quantitative phenotype that related to epidermal integrity, immune function, and wound healing. Although larger sample sizes are necessary to reaffirm these small effect loci amidst a strong environmental effect, the sample cohort used in this study was sufficient for estimating SNP effects with a high predictive value.
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