The Role of Clinical Pathology Biomarkers in the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Claw Horn Lesions in Dairy Cows

Background:
Claw Horn Lesions (CHL) are among the most prevalent and economically significant causes of lameness in dairy cows, including sole ulcers, white line disease, sole hemorrhage, and non-healing lesions. These conditions arise from complex interactions among metabolic stress, systemic inflammation, biomechanical overload, microbial factors, and impaired horn integrity. In addition to compromising animal welfare, CHL leads to reduced milk production, impaired reproductive performance, increased treatment costs, and higher culling rates. Therefore, early detection and effective monitoring strategies are essential for both clinical management and herd-level prevention.

Objective:
This review aims to critically summarize current evidence regarding clinical–pathological biomarkers associated with CHL and to evaluate their potential application in early diagnosis, disease monitoring, and assessment of therapeutic response.

Methods:
Published studies investigating biochemical and metabolic indicators (NEFA, BHB, glucose, cholesterol, liver enzymes, and acute-phase proteins), hematological parameters, inflammatory mediators, molecular markers (cytokines, chemokines, MMPs, ADAMTS proteases, and regulatory microRNAs), microbial findings (Treponema and Fusobacterium species), hormonal stress markers, and oxidative stress indices were systematically reviewed and analyzed.

Results:
Accumulating evidence indicates that alterations in metabolic, inflammatory, and oxidative markers frequently precede overt clinical signs of lameness. These biomarkers reflect negative energy balance, hepatic dysfunction, systemic inflammation, extracellular matrix remodeling, and microbial involvement in specific lesion phenotypes. Acute-phase proteins such as haptoglobin and serum amyloid A correlate with lesion severity and treatment response. However, no single biomarker demonstrates sufficient sensitivity and specificity for definitive CHL diagnosis.

Final Conclusion:
An integrated multi-marker approach combining biochemical, hematological, molecular, microbial, hormonal, and oxidative indicators provides a more comprehensive and reliable framework for early detection, disease monitoring, and therapeutic evaluation of CHL in dairy cows.