AI Article Synopsis
- Digital dermatitis (DD) is a contagious hoof infection in cattle, leading to lameness and decreased milk production, primarily linked to the Treponema bacteria, but its full cause is unclear.
- A study collected bulk tank milk samples from 612 Swedish dairy herds and found an 11.9% prevalence of DD, with the highest rates in South Sweden (31.3%).
- The research indicates that current diagnostic methods might underestimate DD prevalence, emphasizing the need for improved tests like an expanded ELISA that targets multiple bacteria involved in the disease for better monitoring and control.
Article Abstract
Background: Digital dermatitis (DD) is a contagious hoof infection affecting cattle worldwide. The disease causes lameness and a reduction in animal welfare, which ultimately leads to major decreases in milk production in dairy cattle. The disease is most likely of polymicrobial origin with Treponema phagedenis and other Treponema spp. playing a key role; however, the etiology is not fully understood. Diagnosis of the disease is based on visual assessment of the feet by trained hoof-trimmers and veterinarians, as a more reliable diagnostic method is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on bulk tank milk samples testing for the presence of T. phagedenis antibodies as a proxy to assess herd prevalence of DD in Swedish dairy cattle herds.
Results: Bulk tank milk samples were collected in 2013 from 612 dairy herds spread across Sweden. A nationwide DD apparent prevalence of 11.9% (8.1-14.4% CI95%) was found, with the highest proportion of test-positive herds in the South Swedish regions (31.3%; 19.9-42.4% CI95%).
Conclusions: This study reveals an underestimation of DD prevalence based on test results compared to hoof trimming data, highlighting the critical need for a reliable and accurate diagnostic method. Such a method is essential for disease monitoring and the development of effective control strategies. The novelty of ELISA-based diagnostic methods for DD, coupled with the disease's polymicrobial origin, suggests an avenue for improvement. Developing an expanded ELISA, incorporating antigens from various bacterial species implicated in the disease, could enhance diagnostic accuracy. The significance of this study is underscored by the extensive analysis of a substantial sample size (612). Notably, this investigation stands as the largest assessment to date, evaluating the application of ELISA on bulk tank milk for DD diagnosis at the herd level.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11064309 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04021-y | DOI Listing |
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