Invited review: Udder cleft dermatitis in dairy cows

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Dermatology
• Dairy Cattle Health
• Animal Microbiology

Background:

• Udder cleft dermatitis (UCD) is a prevalent skin condition affecting dairy cows, often multifactorial.
• Limited literature exists on UCD, with varying prevalence reported across studies.
• Known risk factors include husbandry, environmental conditions, and cow-specific traits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assimilate existing literature on the prevalence and risk factors of UCD.
• To provide insights into the pathogenesis of UCD through recent studies.
• To highlight the current knowledge gaps in UCD treatment and prevention.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and synthesis of epidemiological data.
• Analysis of cow-related factors (conformation, parity, lactation) and environmental influences.
• Multiomics analysis (transcriptomic and metagenomic) of severe UCD cases.

Main Results:

• UCD is associated with chronic inflammation, impaired skin barrier, and dysbiosis.
• A decrease in microbial diversity and overgrowth of opportunistic bacteria are observed.
• Multiomics revealed negative interactions between Streptococcus pyogenes, virulence factors, and the host transcriptome.
• Milk somatic cell count (SCC) is not influenced by UCD, despite links to mastitis and culling.

Conclusions:

• UCD is a painful condition with numerous identified risk factors.
• Pathogenesis involves dysregulated inflammation, skin barrier defects, and microbial shifts.
• Effective curative treatments and prevention strategies are yet to be established, though alginogels show promise for severe lesions.