An Observational Study Investigating Potential Risk Factors and Economic Impact for Bovine Ischaemic Teat Necrosis on Dairy Farms in Great Britain

Abstract

Bovine ischaemic teat necrosis (ITN) is an emerging disease of unknown aetiology that affects the teats of dairy cattle. It causes economic and animal welfare issues with many animals being culled. No effective treatments or epidemiological data to inform control strategies are currently available. The aim of this observational study was to investigate farmer-reported experiences and identify potential farm-level risk factors. In January 2018, a questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 1,855 Great Britain (GB) dairy farmers. A usable response rate of 12.3% was obtained. Fifty-one per cent [95% confidence interval (CI): 44.4–57.8%] of farmers reported having experienced ITN on their farm between 1985 and 2018. Rising numbers of farms indicated that ITN is an emerging disease with 46.3% of farmers reporting the first case in the 3 years up to 2018. At the animal level, 47.3% (95% CI: 38.7–55.9%) of the cases occurred during the first lactation and 78.9% (95% CI: 75.2–82.6%) within the first 90 days in milk. Only 20.8% (95% CI: 15.9–26.4%) of the cases were reported to recover, whereas 22.8% (95% CI: 17.8–28.5%) of the cases required culling. The remaining cases experienced complications such as loss of a teat and/or mastitis. From these data, the cost of ITN, through production losses and expenditure, was estimated to be £1,121 per farm per year. The costs were estimated at £720, £860 and £2,133 for recovered, complicated and culled cases, respectively. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to explore the associations between the presence of ITN on farm and various risk factors. The presence of udder cleft dermatitis (UCD) (odds ratio 2.80; 95% CI: 1.54–5.07; p < 0.01) and chapped teats (odds ratio 6.07; 95% CI: 1.96–18.76; p < 0.01) in the milking herd was associated with the presence of ITN at the farm level. This is the first national questionnaire of ITN within GB and highlights the association of UCD and chapped teats with ITN at the farm level. While there are many limitations and potential bias around farmer questionnaires, these findings highlight several key areas for further disease investigation and possible intervention.

Molecular Screening for Digital Dermatitis-Associated Treponemes in Bovine Ischaemic Teat Necrosis Lesions and Milk in Dairy Cattle

“…Interestingly, in that study, all farms also had cases of DD in the milking herd [1]. The current findings, however, are consistent with more recent published epidemiological findings [3] and the clinical history obtained during sampling, that farms with ITN do not report having current issues with DD lameness in their dairy herd. Two animals with DD lesions and concurrent ITN lesions had both anatomical locations screened for DD-associated treponemes via PCR assays (data not presented).…”

“…Clegg et al [1] suggested that ITN may be another skin disease that is associated with the presence of specific phylogroups of Treponema bacteria, due to the detection of DD-associated treponemes by PCR in 11 of 12 (91.7%) ITN lesions from dairy cows in a pilot study. An infectious agent was sought after there was an increase in reported cases from 2004 onwards [3,31]. The original samples from that pilot study were sourced and used to validate the methods in this study.…”

“…Bovine ischaemic teat necrosis (ITN) occurs in dairy cattle and is a disease that affects the skin of the teat, notably around the teat base [1,2]. The disease usually occurs in first lactation in dairy cows within the first 30 days in milk and up to the first 90 days in milk [3]. A pilot study previously identified an association with digital dermatitis (DD)associated treponemes which were detected by PCR in 11 of 12 ITN lesions [1].…”

An Online Pattern Recognition-Oriented Workshop to Promote Interest among Undergraduate Students in How Mathematical Principles Could Be Applied within Veterinary Science

“…The mathematical understanding of patterns is fundamental in the daily practice of veterinary medicine. For example, mathematics is used in various aspects of veterinary medicine, including drug dosage and epidemiology [11][12][13]. Furthermore, understanding mathematics helps veterinarians to develop applications such as new epidemiological surveillance models and risk assessments; it also contributes to decision making with regard to epidemic pathologies [5].…”

Clinical Presentation, Bacteriologic Findings and Possible Risk Factors for Ischemic Teat Necrosis in Cattle—A Case Series

“…1 Days in milk;2 Holstein Friesian;3 No Information; 4 Chapped; 5 Pruritus; 6 Automutilation; 7 Dry; 8 milking parlor; 9 Mastitis; 10 Brown Swiss; 11 automatic milking system; 12 Edema;13 Dermatitis digitalis; 14 Fever;15 Sole ulcer;16 Thickened;17 Montbéliarde. * No samples were available from farms 24 and 25, but a questionnaire was submitted.…”