Farm level risk factors for bovine digital dermatitis in Taranaki, New Zealand: An analysis using a Bayesian hurdle model

• Published in: The veterinary journal (1997) Vol. 234; pp. 91 - 95
• Main Authors: Yang, D.A., Laven, R.A., Heuer, C., Vink, W.D., Chesterton, R.N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-04-2018
• Subjects: Bayesian hurdle model; Bovine digital dermatitis; Pasture-based; Risk factors; Pasture-based; Bovine digital dermatitis; Bayesian hurdle model; Risk factors
• ISSN: 1090-0233; 1532-2971
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2018.02.012

•Risk factors for bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) were identified in a pasture-based dairy system.•Rearing heifers with heifers from other farms increased the probability of a farm being affected by BDD.•Using outside staff for foot trimming increased the prevalence of BDD on an affected farm.•Different milking parlour types may reflect the ease of diagnosing BDD lesions.•An effect of season was observed but due to the study's cross-sectional nature this may be confounded by farm.
As part of a cross-sectional study of bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) in 60,455 cows across 224 herds, in Taranaki, a region of the North Island of New Zealand, from September 2014 to February 2015, questionnaires from 114 farms were analysed to identify the key management practices which affect the probability of a farm being affected by BDD and the prevalence of an individual cow being affected on affected farms. The data from the questionnaires were analysed using a Bayesian hurdle model. Two factors were identified as being associated with farm level infection status: (1) milking parlour type; farms which had rotary platforms were more likely to be recorded as having BDD than those which had herringbone parlours (odds ratio, OR, 3.19; 95% probability interval, PI, 1.31–8.51); and (2) young stock movement; farms whose young stock were reared on farms alongside heifers from other farms had a higher odds of being BDD positive than farms where heifers were kept separate (OR 4.15; 95% PI 1.39–15.27). Two factors were associated with an increase in the prevalence of BDD within affected farms: (1) farms which used outside staff to trim feet had a higher prevalence of BDD (prevalence ratio, PR, 3.13; 95% PI 1.25–7.29) than farms which did not use outside staff; and (2) farms examined in spring (September to November) had a higher prevalence of BDD (PR 2.16; 95% PI 1.05–4.43) than farms examined in summer (December to February).