Fusobacterium necrophorum predominates in the microbiota of mandibular dental abscess in Blastocerus dichotomus

Abstract

Dental abscess in ruminants is an acute polymicrobial infection, usually resulting from periodontal disease or endodontic infection, with consequences for animal health and welfare. The present study aimed to describe the bacterial microbiota of dental abscesses in Blastocerus dichotomus. Biological material from mandibular dental abscesses, punctured with a sterile syringe and needle during routine veterinary curative procedures or necropsies, was collected from three ex-situ marsh deer. Bacteria were identified using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. The three specimens had the presence of facial bulging, and two died because of severe emaciation with a history of progressive weight loss. Bacteroides (38.6%), Fusobacterium (36.65%), and Porphyromonas (7.49%) represented the most abundant genera and Fusobacterium necrophorum (35.69%), Porphyromonas levii (3.12%) and Porphyromonas gulae (1.78%) were among the ten most represented species in the microbiota of mandibular abscess in Blastocerus dichotomus. These molecular findings demonstrate a broader diversity of species in the polymicrobial nature of dental abscesses in B. dichotomus than was previously reported when culture-dependent methods were used in the diagnosis.