Technological advances, such as radio-telemetry, have been increasingly employed for animal monitoring because they can furnish important information regarding the ecology and behaviour of various species. However, during a study on semi-domiciled domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus)conducted in an environmental protection area in Ilha Comprida, state of São Paulo, Brazil, we identified a case of dermatitis that was caused by a radio-collar, which was first noticed by the pet owner. This provided the opportunity for close observation not normally possible when these are used to track animals in the wild. It is our aim to bring the possibility that skin inflammation may develop when using radio-collars in radio-telemetry monitoring to the attention of other researchers. This finding highlights the need for greater attention to be paid to the use of this methodology, especially in the realm of wild animals.

The aim of this study was to explore lameness and the associations between lameness and health/production measures of animal welfare in commercial broiler production, using the Welfare Quality® protocol for broilers. A total of 50 flocks were included in the sample and farm visits were conducted for lameness scoring at a mean age of 28.9 days. The percentage of animals (n=7500) in the six different gait score (GS) categories were GS0: 2.53%, GS1: 44.19%, GS2: 33.84%, GS3: 16.32%, GS4: 2.36% and GS5: 0.53%. Production and other welfare data were collected for each flock after slaughter. Higher gait scores were associated with increased hock burn score (P<0.02), increased footpad dermatitis score (P<0.01), reduced bird cleanliness score (P<0.01) and peat litter (P<0.01). Although not statistically significant, there was a tendency for increased flock gait score being associated with wet litter (P=0.07). In addition, condemnations at postmortem inspection were associated with increasing gait scores (P<0.05), indicating that at least a portion of the lameness cases display pathological changes on the carcasses. In conclusion, 19%of the birds showed moderate-to-severe lameness, which was associated with several production or health and welfare observations including feather cleanliness and condemnations as unfit for human consumption at slaughter. Although stocking density and growth rate are already known key factors for lameness, associations of lameness with hock burns, footpad dermatitis and cleanliness of the birds suggest that a suboptimal physical environment (e.g. litter- and air quality) may be detrimental to leg health. Further studies are needed to explore these associations in more detail.

We developed two dose–response algorithms for P. aeruginosa pool folliculitis using bacterial and lesion density estimates, associated with undetectable, significant, and almost certain folliculitis. Literature data were fitted to Furumoto & Mickey's equations, developed for plant epidermis-invading pathogens: Nl = A ln(1 + BC) (log-linear model); Pinf = 1−e(−rcC) (exponential model), where A and B are 2.51644 × 107 lesions/m2 and 2.28011 × 10−11 c.f.u./ml P. aeruginosa, respectively; C = pathogen density (c.f.u./ml), Nl = folliculitis lesions/m2, Pinf = probability of infection, and rC = 4·3 × 10−7 c.f.u./ml P. aeruginosa. Outbreak data indicates these algorithms apply to exposure durations of 41 ± 25 min. Typical water quality benchmarks (≈10−2 c.f.u./ml) appear conservative but still useful as the literature indicated repeated detection likely implies unstable control barriers and bacterial bloom potential. In future, culture-based outbreak testing should be supplemented with quantitative polymerase chain reaction and organic carbon assays, and quantification of folliculitis aetiology to better understand P. aeruginosa risks.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the opportunistic pathogen mostly implicated in folliculitis and acute otitis externa in pools and hot tubs. Nevertheless, infection risks remain poorly quantified. This paper reviews disease aetiologies and bacterial skin colonization science to advance dose-response theory development. Three model forms are identified for predicting disease likelihood from pathogen density. Two are based on Furumoto & Mickey's exponential ‘single-hit’ model and predict infection likelihood and severity (lesions/m2), respectively. ‘Third-generation’, mechanistic, dose-response algorithm development is additionally scoped. The proposed formulation integrates dispersion, epidermal interaction, and follicle invasion. The review also details uncertainties needing consideration which pertain to water quality, outbreaks, exposure time, infection sites, biofilms, cerumen, environmental factors (e.g. skin saturation, hydrodynamics), and whether P. aeruginosa is endogenous or exogenous. The review's findings are used to propose a conceptual infection model and identify research priorities including pool dose-response modelling, epidermis ecology and infection likelihood-based hygiene management.

Dermatitis is a common side effect of radiation therapy (RT) whereas squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is not. Management must include treatment options outside of RT, especially when cases are limited by extreme fibrosis. Here, we present a case in which a patient developed multiple SCC, severe radiation fibrosis, and limited neck mobility. This situation of increased risk for intubation required interdisciplinary coordination for proper therapeutic intervention, namely Mohs micrographic surgery to manage cutaneous lesions.

A patient with aortitis presented in infancy with dermatitis gangrenosa. Coarctation of the aorta was subsequently produced by granulomatous tissue. We report 30 years of medical observation.