Mortellaro

The Mortellaro (lat. Digital dermatitis , also Mortellaro disease after their Erstbeschreiber or strawberry disease by visual appearance) is an inflammation of the toes skin in cattle . The etiology and pathogenesis of the disease are poorly understood. In any case, a lot of moisture, which constantly affects the claw ball, has a positive effect .

Occurrence

Mortellaro was first documented in Italy in 1974. In 2011, 73 percent of dairy herds and 29 percent of all individual animals in Switzerland were affected by the disease. The disease occurs more frequently in loose stalls than in tied stalls .

Pathogen

In infested claws a variety of were bacteria found: In the first place are here Treponema denticola and brennaborense Treponema from the spirochete - genus Treponema be mentioned. Also Campylobacter faecalis and Bacteroides levii are relatively frequently encountered.

clinic

Clinical symptoms are exudation of blood , increased horn formation , formation of black pigmented crusts, very long, protruding hair and increased sole horn growth. Chronic changes in the shape of the hoof shoe, a fissure of the horn and the formation of leaflets occur due to a decrease in the quality of the horn, which can lead to further serious claw diseases (ulcers, hyperplasia interdigitalis ).

therapy

From a therapeutic point of view, functional hoof care has top priority. This raises the ball area and is less exposed to moisture on the ground. Local treatment with sprays containing antibiotics (e.g. oxytetracycline ) is recommended for individual animals . Further, a parenteral administration of antibiotics effective (z. B. cefquinome ). With a large proportion of sick animals in a herd, drive-through baths are sometimes recommended. Care should be taken to ensure that the disinfectant solution in claw baths is frequently renewed to prevent a dilution process. Otherwise there is a risk that the baths themselves will become a source for the spread of pathogens.

prevention

As a preventive measure, it is recommended to eliminate the causes of bacteriological contamination of the stable areas. In particular, the walkways on slatted floors must be cleaned of excrement every day so that they dry off and the bacteria are thus deprived of their nutrient base. Stationary scraper scrapers and robots are suitable for this. Regular disinfection of these areas afterwards should be part of good inventory management.

Web links

• Script Uni Munich ( Memento from February 25, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
• Gerhard Reszler: Hoof Care and Hoof Diseases , Austrian Center for Functional Hoof Care , pp. 42–44

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Series: Mortellaro (2018 - 2019). (PDF; 4 MB) In: ufarevue.ch . Retrieved January 26, 2020 . 
2. ↑ Therapy guidelines for veterinarians. (PDF; 4.7 MB) In: blv.admin.ch . November 2019, pp. 60 - 62 , accessed January 26, 2020 . 

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !