Field Evaluation of Prophylactic and Therapeutic Effects of a Vaccine against (papillomatous) Digital Dermatitis of Dairy Cattle in Two California Dairies

Digital Dermatitis ((P)DD) is a superficial, painful, and contagious bacterial disease causing ulcerative or proliferative lesions on the skin usually at the palmar surface of rear feet near the interdigital space and heels. Although (P)DD is multifactorial and the precise etiology has not been determined, there is compelling evidence that invasive spirochetes play a major role either as primary or secondary pathogens in (P)DD lesions. (P)DD is a significant cause of lameness in dairy cattle resulting in financial loss due to premature culling, decreased milk yield, poor reproductive performance, weight loss, milk discard due to treatment with antibiotics, and treatment and labor costs. The development of an efficacious and cost-effective vaccine is highly desirable. The objective of this study was to determine whether Treponema bacterin provides prophylactic and/or therapeutic effects for controlling (P)DD in cattle.
A total of 420 and 740 Holstein cows were enrolled from two, commercial California dairies with pre-vaccination (P)DD prevalence of 27% and 29% respectively. All lactating cows from each herd were vaccinated with either Treponema bacterin (Novartis Animal Health, Inc.) or placebo, where each enrolled cow received ...