Papillomatous digital dermatitis in a Holstein-Friesian bull

Authors: Hill FI, Vermunt JJ
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 52, Issue 2, pp 99-101, Apr 2004
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Cattle, Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant
Subject Terms: Bacterial, Biosecurity, Inflammation, Integument/skin/wool/hair/fur/feather, Disease/defect, Hoof/claw, Limb - lower, Locomotor, New hosts/new diseases
Article class: Correspondence

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Abstract: Papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD) is an infectious and contagious disorder of housed, adult dairy cattle. The ensuing lameness is often severe and results in significant economic loss, mainly due to decreased milk production (Hernandez et al 2002). The disease, first described some 30 years ago in Italy, has since been reported in many other European countries, North America and Australia, though not in New Zealand. In the United Kingdom and North America, PDD is the most common skin lesion observed in association with bovine lameness. Despite a plethora of scientific publications, several aspects of this condition, including name, aetiology, pathogenesis and pathology are still in dispute. PPD has variously been called Mortellaro disease, digital dermatitis, interdigital papillomatosis, hairy foot warts, heel warts, strawberry foot rot, and raspberry heel. The aetiology of PDD is not fully understood, but spirochaetes, namely Treponema spp, have been consistently isolated from lesions. Macroscopically, a PDD lesion is quite specific, usually single and localised on the plantar aspect of the digits, midway between the two claws and typically bordering the coronary band immediately above the heel bulbs. It takes the form of a superficial, moist, exudative, circumscribed and red, raw ulcerative dermatitis, 2–4 cm in diameter, with a white epithelial border and an area of proliferating tissue. These circular to oval lesions are initially very painful and prone to bleeding when disturbed. Usually, there is no swelling of associated tissues. Neglected and long-standing lesions may erode the heel horn and even progress to underrun the horn of the sole. In reported cases where the progression of the lesions has been observed over a period of time, the more chronic lesions begin to look like verrucose dermatitis or “hairy foot warts”. These terms are used to describe a neoplastic-like lesion with fronds or hairs arising from the base; the hairs often being erect and matted with exudate. We report here a case of PDD in a herd of 500 dairy bulls near Palmerston North, New Zealand.

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