hyperkeratosis, in cattle, a disease characterized by inflammation and thickening of the horny covering of the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Other symptoms include weight loss, wartlike swellings in the mouth, drooling, and a runny nose. Severely afflicted animals usually die. Although once attributed to a virus, the disease is now known to be caused by the ingestion of feed contaminated with chlorinated naphthalene, a lubricant used to grease feed mills. The term hyperkeratosis is also used to describe the hypertrophy of the corneous layer of the human skin.