Preliminary report on osteochondrosis in cattle in the north-western parts of South Africa

Abstract

The north-western part of South Africa, in particular, is well known for mineral imbalances. Aphosphorosis, resulting in rickets and osteomalacia, received a lot of attention at the turn of the nineteenth century (1882–1912). This was followed in 1997 by research on Vryburg hepatosis, another area-specific mineral imbalance–related disease in young calves reared on manganese-rich soil derived from the weathering of dolomitic (carbonate) rock formations. In 1982, a totally new syndrome (osteochondrosis) manifested in, amongst others, areas in South Africa where aphosphorosis was rife. Osteochondrosis was also identified in the south-western parts of Namibia as well as southern Botswana and other areas in South Africa. Osteochondrosis has a multifactorial aetiology and this study focused on the role of minerals, particularly phosphorus, in the development of the disease. A significant improvement in the clinical signs in experimental animals and a reduction of osteochondrosis occurred on farms where animals received bioavailable trace minerals and phosphorus as part of a balanced lick. An increase in the occurrence of the disease on farms during severe drought conditions in 2012–2013 prompted researchers to investigate the possible role of chronic metabolic acidosis in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Response of cattle with clinical osteochondrosis to mineral supplementation

“…The fact that none of the study cattle responded positively to any of the supplementations, regardless of different micro- and macromineral level intake between sub-groups, warranted further investigation. The results obtained in this study are contradictory to those observed during the 2012 pre-trial where cattle fed a supplement containing high levels of both micro- and macrominerals responded positively with a marked decrease in the severity of lameness and size of the peri-articular swelling (Prozesky et al 2016 ).…”

“…The size of the peri-articular swelling and the degree of lameness of the trial cattle were used to determine the effect of the supplements. Visual grading of lesions has been statistically proven to be a valid method (unpublished data: K. Botha, 2016 ). Analysis of the initial values for all the cattle indicated that there were no significant differences pertaining to the sex, age, weight, lameness score, acute peri-articular swelling score, chronic peri-articular swelling (fibrosis) score and the overall disability score.…”

“…The three supplements contained the same basic ingredients and only varied in mineral concentrations. The mineral levels of supplement 3 were based on those of the 2012 pre-trial supplement that had a significant positive effect when fed to cattle with clinical osteochondrosis (Prozesky et al 2016 ).…”

“…Investigation of cattle clinically affected by osteochondrosis in the North West province on a herd basis revealed that bulls were more prone and severely affected than cows, with young animals more frequently affected than adult animals (Prozesky et al 2016 ). The higher frequency among young animals is in accordance with the definition, as ‘osteochondrosis’ is a term that pertains to a group of lesions associated with the persistence of growth cartilage in the epiphyseal or physeal growth plates as a result of failure of endochondral ossification.…”

“…A survey conducted in 2004 indicated that several similar factors such as the breeding season, age, sex, anatomical conformation, nutritional supplementation and management were all commonly found throughout the affected geographical region. It was concluded that osteochondrosis is not the result of a single factor, but a multifactorial problem (Prozesky et al 2016 ).…”