Mortellaro, also known as digital dermatitis, remains one of the most challenging hoof health problems on dairy farms. While vaccination is widely used to improve herd health, not every disease has an approved commercial vaccine. For Mortellaro, farm specific autovaccines are now gaining attention as a possible support tool within a wider hoof health plan.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Vaccination helps animals develop stronger immunity against specific pathogens. It does not fully prevent disease in every case, but it can reduce the risk of illness and lower the severity of infection. This also helps reduce infection pressure within the herd.
In dairy farming, vaccines are already used for several respiratory, digestive and mastitis related diseases. However, Mortellaro is more complex. It involves a mixture of bacteria, farm conditions, hygiene levels and animal resistance. This makes it difficult to control through one single method.
Ceva Santé Animale, following its acquisition of the German company BestVac, is offering an autogenous vaccine approach for Mortellaro. This type of vaccine is made from pathogens collected from a specific farm and is used only for that same farm. At present, the main focus is on Germany, while the option is also available in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Experts caution that autovaccination should not be seen as a miracle solution. Mortellaro control still requires a complete management plan, including regular hoof trimming, effective footbaths, improved hygiene and veterinary guidance. An autovaccine may help reduce clinical effects, but it cannot replace good farm management.
Autovaccines are already more common in poultry and pig production, where large animal numbers allow infections to spread quickly. Their use is strictly regulated and is only allowed when no registered commercial vaccine is available. The vaccine must be made for one specific farm, using pathogens from that same farm, and its use must be recorded in the farm treatment plan.
One major challenge in Mortellaro is that several bacteria are involved. Important organisms such as spirochetes are difficult to culture in the laboratory. This makes vaccine development more complicated. Some experts believe that autovaccination may still be useful, but only when combined with broader hoof health measures.
Veterinary specialists also compare the situation with mastitis. Vaccines can support control, but real improvement only comes when the farm tackles the problem from all sides. The same applies to Mortellaro.
Looking ahead, autovaccines may also have potential for other diseases where commercial vaccines are not yet available. These may include certain mastitis pathogens, calf lung diseases, bacterial ear infections and Salmonella strains. However, strict rules and farm specific limitations will continue to apply.
The growing interest in autovaccination shows that dairy health management is moving toward more targeted and preventive solutions. For Mortellaro, the message is clear. Autovaccine may support hoof health, but long term control depends on a complete and well managed farm health strategy.