Bargai U, Cohen R
Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1992 Oct 1;201(7):1068-9.
Degenerative joint disease of the tarsi was diagnosed in 20 of 24 Holstein bulls with tarsal lameness at 2 artificial insemination centers from 1975 to 1987. Each of the 2 centers housed about 100 bulls/yr. Of the 24 bulls with tarsal lameness, 22 were from the artificial insemination center designated as A, and 2 were from the center designated as B. Examination of the housing and management procedures revealed that center A had concrete floors with cuboidal-shaped yards, whereas center B had deep sand flooring, with long, narrow yards. The only other difference between the 2 centers was that center A used 1- and 2-year-old bulls as teasers for older, heavier bulls to mount, whereas center B used bulls that were at least 6 years old to withstand the stress placed on their hind limbs by the weight of bulls undergoing semen collection. Radiographic lesions of tarsi of bulls from both centers ranged from distention of the tibiotarsal joint pouch to hypertrophic degenerative osteoarthritis of the distal, intertarsal, and tarsometatarsal joints. It was concluded that the concrete flooring and the semen collecting practices were responsible for the high prevalence of tarsal lameness and degenerative joint disease of the tarsi in bulls housed at center A.
1975年至1987年期间，在2个人工授精中心，对24头患跗关节跛行的荷斯坦公牛进行检查，其中20头被诊断患有跗关节退行性关节病。每个中心每年大约饲养100头公牛。在这24头患跗关节跛行的公牛中，22头来自指定为A的人工授精中心，2头来自指定为B的中心。对饲养和管理程序的检查发现，A中心的地面是混凝土的，围场呈长方体形状，而B中心的地面是厚沙地，围场又长又窄。这两个中心唯一的其他区别是，A中心使用1岁和2岁的公牛作为诱情公牛，供年龄较大、体型较重的公牛爬跨，而B中心使用至少6岁的公牛，以承受采精公牛体重对其后肢造成的压力。两个中心公牛的跗关节放射学病变范围从胫跗关节囊扩张到远侧跗间关节和跗跖关节的肥大性退行性骨关节炎。得出的结论是，混凝土地面和采精做法是A中心饲养的公牛跗关节跛行和跗关节退行性关节病高发的原因。
