-S; Dechra, UK) on lambs with contagious ecthyma. The con- centration of a marker of systemic inflammation, serum amyloid A (SAA), was measured during the clinical phase of CE in naturally and experimentally infected lambs, in cohorts either treated or not treated with the product. In the experimental infection, the treatment modified the SAA response, peaking earlier and at lower levels than in controls and show- ing significantly lower values at the completion of the experimental period than in controls. In the natural outbreak, SAA levels significantly decreased over time in the treated cohort, whereas in controls, levels remained stable at high values. These results indicate that this topical formulation reduces systemic inflammation in lambs with CE, providing supportive evidence that this is a promising non-antibiotic therapeutic alternative to current practice. Abstract Academic Editor: Clive J. C. Phillips Contagious ecthyma (CE) is a widespread, highly contagious zoonotic skin disease of Received: 10 November 2025 small ruminants caused by the Orf virus (ORFV), leading to substantial economic losses Revised: 4 December 2025 and welfare concerns. There is no specific treatment, with topical antiseptics and oral Accepted: 17 December 2025 or parenteral antibiotics often administered for preventing secondary infections, risking Published: 20 December 2025 antimicrobial resistance. This study assessed the effect of treating CE in lambs with an Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. antibiotic-free topical anaesthetic/antiseptic formulation (Tri-Solfen® ; T-S; Medical Ethics, Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Australia/MultiSolfen® ; M-S; Dechra, UK). Serum amyloid A (SAA), a marker of systemic This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
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ne-anesthetized piglets were randomly assigned to the two injection methods (n = 6). A total volume of 0.6 mL comprised of a mixture of contrast agent (Imeron® 300 M, 300 mg Iod/mL, Injektionslösung Iomeprol, Bracco Imaging Deutschland GmbH, Konstanz, Germany) diluted 1:10 in lidocaine hydrochloride 2% (Xylocitin® 2%, Mibe GmbH Arzneimittel, Sandersdorf-Brehna, Germany) was injected with either the one-step F or two-step method as described below. The same two people performed fixation and injection. Piglets received an intramuscular dose of 50 mg/kg metamizole (METAMIZOL WDT, 500 mg/mL, Injektionslösung für Pferde, Rinder, Schweine und Hunde, WDT—Wirtschaftsgenossenschaft deutscher Tierärzte eG, Hanover, Germany) 30 min prior to the induction of anesthesia. CT was performed using a dual-layer spectral CT (IQon Spectral-CT, Philips Healthcare, Best, The Netherlands) every two minutes until 20 min after injection. The following evaluation parameters were used for all CT scans: 120 kV, 74 mA and 2-mm thickness. Image analysis was performed using a standard DICOM Viewer (LARA View, DEKOM Medical, Hamburg, Germany), and 3D reconstruction was performed using semiautomated software (IntelliSpace PACS, Philips Healthcare, Best, the Netherlands). Three independent and blinded raters performed semiquantitative analyses using a CT distribution scoring system (Table 1). Directly after injection and after 20 min, CT scans were evaluated for the distribution and accumulation of the contrast agent in the testicular area. 2.3. Injection Pressure and Injection Time The injection pressure of the two methods used in the experiments was measured in four piglets injected using the two-step method and seven piglets injected using the one- step F method. Immediately after euthanasia
ne-anesthetized piglets were randomly assigned to the two injection methods (n = 6). A total volume of 0.6 mL comprised of a mixture of contrast agent (Imeron® 300 M, 300 mg Iod/mL, Injektionslösung Iomeprol, Bracco Imaging Deutschland GmbH, Konstanz, Germany) diluted 1:10 in lidocaine hydrochloride 2% (Xylocitin® 2%, Mibe GmbH Arzneimittel, Sandersdorf-Brehna, Germany) was injected with either the one-step F or two-step method as described below. The same two people performed fixation and injection. Piglets received an intramuscular dose of 50 mg/kg metamizole (METAMIZOL WDT, 500 mg/mL, Injektionslösung für Pferde, Rinder, Schweine und Hunde, WDT—Wirtschaftsgenossenschaft deutscher Tierärzte eG, Hanover, Germany) 30 min prior to the induction of anesthesia. CT was performed using a dual-layer spectral CT (IQon Spectral-CT, Philips Healthcare, Best, The Netherlands) every two minutes until 20 min after injection. The following evaluation parameters were used for all CT scans: 120 kV, 74 mA and 2-mm thickness. Image analysis was performed using a standard DICOM Viewer (LARA View, DEKOM Medical, Hamburg, Germany), and 3D reconstruction was performed using semiautomated software (IntelliSpace PACS, Philips Healthcare, Best, the Netherlands). Three independent and blinded raters performed semiquantitative analyses using a CT distribution scoring system (Table 1). Directly after injection and after 20 min, CT scans were evaluated for the distribution and accumulation of the contrast agent in the testicular area. 2.3. Injection Pressure and Injection Time The injection pressure of the two methods used in the experiments was measured in four piglets injected using the two-step method and seven piglets injected using the one- step F method. Immediately after euthanasia
wound formulation, local therapy Introduction Contagious ecthyma, also known as orf, contagious pustular dermatitis, sore mouth or scabby mouth, is a highly contagious eruptive skin condition of sheep, goats and other ruminants, although zoonotic transmission also occurs. Orf disease affects mainly young animals in the first year of their life, with severe outbreaks generally Correspondence: Delia Lacasta associated with intensive sheep husbandry or transport. Orf virus belongs to the Facultad de Veterinaria de Zaragoza, C/Miguel Servet 177, Zaragoza, 50013, genus Parapoxvirus, family Poxviridae, sub-family Chordopoxvirinae.1 It is Spain a pathogen with worldwide distribution, causing significant financial losses in Tel +34 609676727 Email dlacasta@gmail.com livestock production. Transmission of orf is from direct or indirect contact with Veterinary Medicine: Research and Reports 2021:12 149–158 149 Received: 12 February 2021 © 2021 Lacasta et al. This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms. Accepted: 12 April 2021 php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For Published: 9 June 2021 permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php). Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) Lacasta et al Dovepress the orf virus from pustules of infected animals containing- (cetrimide) in a gel formulation that
tor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.
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roduct that improves wound healing rates and decreases infection associated with castration is critical. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of five topical protective products on wound healing, physiological response, inflammation, and performance in castrated piglets. MATERIAL AND METHODS Housing and animals This study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of North Carolina State University (IACUC protocol 20–113). The experiment was conducted on a commercial sow farm in the southeastern United States during the summer. Sows and piglets were housed in individual farrowing crates within tunnel-ventilated, fully slatted farrowing rooms maintained at an average temperature of 22º ± 1.0 ºC. Temperature and ventilation were controlled using a computerized system. Each farrowing crate measured 2.5 m × 0.7 m, with an additional piglet area (2.5 m × 1.3 m). Heat mats were provided for piglets and maintained at approximately 30–35°C. Lighting was provided from 0600 to 1700 h. Feed and water were offered ad libitum to both sows and piglets. Page 3/20 Animal care and handling followed the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching (FASS, 2020). Surgical castration was a routine farm practice; therefore, male piglets enrolled in this study were not castrated solely for research purposes. Experimental design and treatment administration A total of 190 Large White x Duroc male piglets from 51 litters were enrolled in this study (study duration = 21 days; Fig. 1). At enrollment (D0), piglets were individually identified using ear tags (Allflex Global Piglet ear tags, Allflex Livestock Intelligence, Madison, WI), weighed, and randomly assigned to one of six treatment groups: I
roduct that improves wound healing rates and decreases infection associated with castration is critical. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of five topical protective products on wound healing, physiological response, inflammation, and performance in castrated piglets. MATERIAL AND METHODS Housing and animals This study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of North Carolina State University (IACUC protocol 20–113). The experiment was conducted on a commercial sow farm in the southeastern United States during the summer. Sows and piglets were housed in individual farrowing crates within tunnel-ventilated, fully slatted farrowing rooms maintained at an average temperature of 22º ± 1.0 ºC. Temperature and ventilation were controlled using a computerized system. Each farrowing crate measured 2.5 m × 0.7 m, with an additional piglet area (2.5 m × 1.3 m). Heat mats were provided for piglets and maintained at approximately 30–35°C. Lighting was provided from 0600 to 1700 h. Feed and water were offered ad libitum to both sows and piglets. Page 3/20 Animal care and handling followed the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching (FASS, 2020). Surgical castration was a routine farm practice; therefore, male piglets enrolled in this study were not castrated solely for research purposes. Experimental design and treatment administration A total of 190 Large White x Duroc male piglets from 51 litters were enrolled in this study (study duration = 21 days; Fig. 1). At enrollment (D0), piglets were individually identified using ear tags (Allflex Global Piglet ear tags, Allflex Livestock Intelligence, Madison, WI), weighed, and randomly assigned to one of six treatment groups: I
eting interests The authors declare no competing interests. Additional information Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi .org/1 0.10 38/s41598- 025-91551-6. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to P.H.E.T. Reprints and permissions information is available at www.nature.com/reprints. Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http:/ /creativec ommo ns.org /licenses/
eting interests The authors declare no competing interests. Additional information Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi .org/1 0.10 38/s41598- 025-91551-6. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to P.H.E.T. Reprints and permissions information is available at www.nature.com/reprints. Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http:/ /creativec ommo ns.org /licenses/