Association of Unique, Isolated Treponemes with Bovine Digital Dermatitis Lesions

Abstract

This study used a PCR-based approach targeting 16S rRNA gene fragments to determine the occurrence and association of the three bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) treponeme phylogroups within lesions found in cattle from the United Kingdom. Examination of 51 BDD lesions collected from infected cattle across the United Kingdom revealed that BDD treponeme group 1 (Treponema medium/Treponema vincentii-like), group 2 (Treponema phagedenis-like), and group 3 (Treponema putidum/Treponema denticola-like) were present in 96.1%, 98%, and 76.5% of BDD lesions, respectively. The three phylogroups were present together in 74.5% of lesions. The PCR assays enabled the isolation of further treponeme strains from previously mixed primary BDD lesion cultures. Here a representative from each of the three distinct treponeme phylogroups was isolated from a single BDD lesion for the first time. These data highlight the extent to which this disease is polytreponemal. Immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy were used to investigate lesional hoof tissues, resulting in treponemes being identified copiously in hair follicles and sebaceous glands, suggesting a potential route of exit and/or entry for these pathogens. This study gives further evidence for the importance of the three treponeme groups in BDD pathogenesis and reiterates the value of molecular genetic approaches for isolating and identifying fastidious anaerobes.

The effect of slurry on skin permeability to methylene blue dye in dairy cows with and without a history of digital dermatitis

“…Indeed, electron micrographs of tissues infected with DD have shown treponemes in the hair follicles and radiating out towards deeper parts of the tissues (Evans et al, 2009). Despite this, no difference was found between the number of hair follicles in animals with and without a history of DD in this study.…”

“…The disease is thought to be caused by spirochaete bacteria (Walker et al, 1995;Demirkan et al, 1998;Evans et al, 2009) and leads to painful lesions, commonly at the skin-horn junction on the heels of dairy cattle (Read and Walker, 1998). There appears to be natural variation in susceptibility to DD, with some animals in a group infected repeatedly while others never develop the disease (Laven, 1999).…”

Ovine pedomics: the first study of the ovine foot 16S rRNA-based microbiome

“…were detected in only one sheep with ID from flock C. There were two sequences and they had 94 and 99% similarity to uncultured Treponema phylotypes from samples from cattle with digital dermatitis and from animal faecal samples (Klitgaard et al, 2008;Ley et al, 2008). Treponema are often free living but are linked to contagious ovine digital dermatitis and bovine digital dermatitis in sheep and cattle, respectively (Collighan et al, 2000;Moore et al, 2005;Demirkan et al, 2006;Evans et al, 2008Evans et al, , 2009Sayers et al, 2009). Several species have been associated to contagious ovine digital dermatitis and DD including Treponema phagedenis-like and Treponema medium/Treponema vincentii-like, Treponema medium/Treponema vincentii-like, Treponema phagedenis-like, and Treponema denticola/ Treponema putidum-like (Sayers et al, 2009).…”

High-Level Association of Bovine Digital Dermatitis Treponema spp. with Contagious Ovine Digital Dermatitis Lesions and Presence of Fusobacterium necrophorum and Dichelobacter nodosus

“…The primary causative agents of BDD are considered to be spirochetal bacteria with a polytreponemal etiology suggested (30)(31)(32). Cloning bacterial 16S rRNA genes indicated five phylotypes of treponemes in BDD lesions from Germany (33).…”