Silveira Caroline da Silva, Moreira de Morais Raissa, Araújo Damboriarena Pedro, Pozzobon Ricardo, Fraga Martín, Leite Dos Anjos Bruno
Plataforma de Investigación en Salud Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), Estación Experimental La Estanzuela, Colonia, Uruguay.
Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciência Animal, Universidade Federal do Pampa, Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Front Vet Sci. 2025 Apr 25;12:1567665. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1567665. eCollection 2025.
Foot diseases in small ruminants cause locomotor disorders, leading to significant economic, productive, and health concerns in sheep and goat farming worldwide. The diagnosis and classification of lesions caused by footpad dermatitis are complex and based only on clinical observations in the field. In this context, this study assessed the histopathological and radiographic characteristics of lesions caused by pododermatitis in sheep to improve and deepen the classification of lesions and optimize diagnosis and prognosis. In this study 1.701 lame sheep were included and were distributed across 21 farms in southern Brazil. Lesions were categorized into three severity grades based on clinical, histological and radiographic observations. As a result of these findings, the lesions were categorized into 3 grades described as: mild interdigital dermatitis (grade 1), necrosis with bone involvement (grade 2) and severe tissue loss with osteolysis (grade 3). Radiographic evaluation revealed bone changes ranging from mild inflammation to osteomyelitis and pathological fractures in advanced grades. Histologically, in most severe cases, progressive inflammation, thrombosis and necrosis were observed. The results suggest that regardless of the origin of pododermatitis, whether related to environmental factors and/or agents such as and , the lesions are progressive and severe. This adapted classification system can help field technicians and producers to effectively diagnose and treat these lesions depending on the grade, limiting their progression and consequently reducing economic losses. This integrated approach can improve animal welfare and productivity in South American herds, where these diseases are a significant concern.
小型反刍动物的足部疾病会导致运动障碍，给全球绵羊和山羊养殖带来重大的经济、生产和健康问题。脚垫皮炎所致病变的诊断和分类很复杂，且仅基于现场临床观察。在此背景下，本研究评估了绵羊足部皮炎所致病变的组织病理学和放射学特征，以改进和深化病变分类，并优化诊断和预后。本研究纳入了1701只跛行绵羊，它们分布在巴西南部的21个农场。根据临床、组织学和放射学观察，将病变分为三个严重程度等级。基于这些发现，病变被分为3个等级，分别为：轻度趾间皮炎（1级）、伴有骨质受累的坏死（2级）和伴有骨质溶解的严重组织缺失（3级）。放射学评估显示，病变从轻度炎症到骨髓炎不等，晚期还出现病理性骨折。组织学上，在大多数严重病例中，观察到进行性炎症、血栓形成和坏死。结果表明，无论足部皮炎的起因如何，无论与环境因素和/或诸如……等病原体是否相关，病变都是进行性且严重的。这种适应性分类系统可以帮助现场技术人员和养殖者根据等级有效诊断和治疗这些病变，限制其发展，从而减少经济损失。这种综合方法可以改善南美畜群的动物福利和生产力，在这些地区，这些疾病是一个重大问题。
