Characterization of Novel Bovine Gastrointestinal Tract
            <i>Treponema</i>
            Isolates and Comparison with Bovine Digital Dermatitis Treponemes

Evans, Nicholas J.; Brown, Jennifer M.; Murray, Richard D.; Getty, B.; Birtles, Richard J.; Hart, C. A.; Carter, Stuart

doi:10.1128/aem.00993-10

Cited by 140 publications

(140 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(62 reference statements)

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“…These and other commensal gastrointestinal (GI) treponemes belong to a phylogenetic clade different from that of the DD-associated Treponema spp. (22). Although spirochetes are part of the normal GI microbial community, they appear to have been less common in the slurry.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiota Analysis of an Environmental Slurry and Its Potential Role as a Reservoir of Bovine Digital Dermatitis Pathogens

Klitgaard

Strube

Isbrand

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

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At present, very little information exists regarding what role the environmental slurry may play as an infection reservoir and/or route of transmission for bovine digital dermatitis (DD), a disease which is a global problem in dairy herds. To investigate whether DD-related bacteria belong to the indigenous microbiota of the dairy herd environment, we used deep amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene in 135 slurry samples collected from different sites in 22 dairy farms, with and without DD-infected cows. Both the general bacterial populations and digital dermatitisassociated Treponema were targeted in this study. The results revealed significant differences in the bacterial communities between the herds, with only 12 bacterial taxa shared across at least 80% of all the individual samples. These differences in the herd microbiota appeared to reflect mainly between-herd variation. Not surprisingly, the slurry was dominated by ubiquitous gastrointestinal bacteria, such as Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae. Despite the low relative abundance of spirochetes, which ranged from 0 to 0.6%, we were able to detect small amounts of bacterial DNA from DD-associated treponemes in the slurry. However, the DDassociated Treponema spp. were detected only in samples from herds with reported DD problems. These data indicate that treponemes involved in the pathogenesis of DD are not part of the normal environmental microflora in dairy herds without clinical DD and, consequently, that slurry is not a primary reservoir of infection.IMPORTANCE Bovine digital dermatitis (DD), a dermal disease which causes lameness in dairy cattle, is a serious problem worldwide. To control this disease, the infection reservoirs and transmission routes of DD pathogens need to be clarified. The dairy herd slurry may be a pathogen reservoir of DD-associated bacteria. The rationale for the present study was, therefore, to examine whether DD-associated bacteria are always present in slurry or if they are found only in DD-afflicted herds. The results strongly indicated that DD Treponema spp. are not part of the indigenous slurry and, therefore, do not comprise an infection reservoir in healthy herds. This study applied next-generation sequencing technology to decipher the microbial compositions of environmental slurry of dairy herds with and without digital dermatitis.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbiota Analysis of an Environmental Slurry and Its Potential Role as a Reservoir of Bovine Digital Dermatitis Pathogens

Klitgaard

Strube

Isbrand

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…Despite the apparent contagiousness of DD, DD-associated Treponema has not been identified in the dairy herd environment or the contents of the bovine GI tract (16,17). Thus, it seemed reasonable to hypothesize that any DD treponemes present in this environment would be sporadic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of the amplicons from the environmental sequences could be taxonomically assigned only to the genus level. There are several phylotypes of Treponema in the bovine GI tract (17,26,27); however, because of the difficulties associated with the isolation, cultivation, and purification of treponemes, many species of this genus have yet to be characterized. This may explain why a large fraction of the amplified sequences could not be classified further than the genus level.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Treponemes are notoriously difficult to cultivate, and there have been relatively few investigations of these bacteria in the farm environment (17). Global bacterial studies have shown that there are several phylotypes of Treponema in the bovine gastrointestinal (GI) tract (18)(19)(20), including Treponema bryantii and Treponema saccharophilum, which have been isolated from the rumina of cows (21,22).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Global bacterial studies have shown that there are several phylotypes of Treponema in the bovine gastrointestinal (GI) tract (18)(19)(20), including Treponema bryantii and Treponema saccharophilum, which have been isolated from the rumina of cows (21,22). These cultivable treponemes are phylogenetically very distinct from those associated with DD (17). So far, no DDassociated bacteria have been isolated from feces, suggesting that DD treponemes are not part of the normal microbiota of the bovine GI tract (16).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Discovery of Bovine Digital Dermatitis-Associated Treponema spp. in the Dairy Herd Environment by a Targeted Deep-Sequencing Approach

Klitgaard

Nielsen

Ingerslev

et al. 2014

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The bacteria associated with the infectious claw disease bovine digital dermatitis (DD) are spirochetes of the genus Treponema; however, their environmental reservoir remains unknown. To our knowledge, the current study is the first report of the discovery and phylogenetic characterization of rRNA gene sequences from DD-associated treponemes in the dairy herd environment. Although the spread of DD appears to be facilitated by wet floors covered with slurry, no DD-associated treponemes have been isolated from this environment previously. Consequently, there is a lack of knowledge about the spread of this disease among cows within a herd as well as between herds. To address the issue of DD infection reservoirs, we searched for evidence of DDassociated treponemes in fresh feces, in slurry, and in hoof lesions by deep sequencing of the V3 and V4 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene coupled with identification at the operational-taxonomic-unit level. Using treponeme-specific primers in this high-throughput approach, we identified small amounts of DNA (on average 0.6% of the total amount of sequence reads) from DD-associated treponemes in 43 of 64 samples from slurry and cow feces collected from six geographically dispersed dairy herds. Species belonging to the Treponema denticola/Treponema pedis-like and Treponema phagedenis-like phylogenetic clusters were among the most prevalent treponemes in both the dairy herd environment and the DD lesions. By the high-throughput approach presented here, we have demonstrated that cow feces and environmental slurry are possible reservoirs of DD-associated treponemes. This method should enable further clarification of the etiopathogenesis of DD. Bovine digital dermatitis (DD) was first described in 1974 and has since become a growing problem worldwide (1). The disease is characterized by focal proliferative to ulcerative dermatitis that is typically located on the plantar aspect of the hoof (1). The consequences of this disease are decreased animal welfare and serious economic losses for the farmers due to factors such as reduced milk yield and premature culling (2-4). DD is considered a multifactorial disease, and moist, unhygienic conditions, such as the slurry to which the animals are frequently exposed, are considered predisposing factors (5, 6). The bacteria most often associated with DD are spirochetes of the genus Treponema, which predominate in the deepest regions of DD lesions (7,8). To date, at least 20 different phylotypes have been identified from DD biopsy specimens; among these, Treponema phagedenis-like, Treponema medium/Treponema vincentii-like, Treponema denticolalike, and Treponema pedis phylotypes are highly associated with progression of the disease (9-12). DD also appears to be highly infectious based on the rapid intra-and interherd spread of the disease (6, 13, 14). The spread of DD in dairy cattle is facilitated by wet walking surfaces covered with feces (15), although the causative agents have not yet been found in slurry (16). Because the Treponema ...

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Effects of host identity on the gut microbiota: A comparative study on three microtinae species

Yao,

Zhao,

Tang

et al. 2024

Anim Models and Exp Med

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BackgroundGut microbiota exert an immense effect on host health and host environmental adaptation. Furthermore, the composition and structure of gut microbiota are determined by the environment and host genetic factors. However, the relative contribution of the environment and host genetic factors toward shaping the structure of gut microbiota has been poorly understood.MethodsIn this study, we characterized the fecal microbial communities of the closely related voles Neodon fuscus, Lasiopodomys brandtii, and L. mandarinus after caged feeding in the laboratory for 6 months, through high‐throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis.ResultsThe results of pairwise comparisons of N. fuscus vs. L. brandtii and L. mandarinus vs. L. brandtii revealed significant differences in bacterial diversity and composition after domestication. While 991 same operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were shared in three voles, there were 362, 291, and 303 species‐specific OTUs in N. fuscus, L. brandtii, and L. mandarinus, respectively. The relative abundances of Proteobacteria and Prevotella, which are reported to be enriched in high‐altitude populations, were significantly higher in high‐altitude N. fuscus than in low‐altitude L. brandtii after domestication. Firmicutes, which produce various digestive enzymes for energy metabolism, and Spirochaetes, which can degrade cellulose, were found in higher abundance in subterranean L. mandarinus than that in L. brandtii which dwells on the earth surface.ConclusionOur findings showed that some components of gut microbiota still maintained dominance even when different host species are reared under the same environmental conditions, suggesting that these bacteria are substantially influenced by host factors..

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Characterization of Novel Bovine Gastrointestinal Tract Treponema Isolates and Comparison with Bovine Digital Dermatitis Treponemes

Cited by 140 publications

References 43 publications

Microbiota Analysis of an Environmental Slurry and Its Potential Role as a Reservoir of Bovine Digital Dermatitis Pathogens

Microbiota Analysis of an Environmental Slurry and Its Potential Role as a Reservoir of Bovine Digital Dermatitis Pathogens

Discovery of Bovine Digital Dermatitis-Associated Treponema spp. in the Dairy Herd Environment by a Targeted Deep-Sequencing Approach

Effects of host identity on the gut microbiota: A comparative study on three microtinae species

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