Host and environmental reservoirs of infection for bovine digital dermatitis treponemes

Evans, Nicholas J.; Timofte, Dorina; Isherwood, D. M.; Brown, Jennifer M.; Williams, Jonathan; Sherlock, Kenneth; Lehane, Michael J.; Murray, Richard D.; Birtles, Richard J.; Hart, C. A.; Carter, Stuart

doi:10.1016/j.vetmic.2011.09.029

Cited by 61 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…However, this study did not discriminate between Treponema species as their respective PCR assay detects both pathogenic and commensal treponemes, the latter of which are found in the ruminant gastrointestinal (GI) tract and feces (39). Additionally, healthy bovine foot tissue samples often amplify treponemal DNA using the genus-specific PCR assay but fail to produce products using DD treponeme phylogroup PCR assays (32,39). Indeed, in a large survey of the dairy farm environment (39), nearly all samples were positive using the general Treponema PCR, suggesting it has little diagnostic value for clarifying relevant associations with clinical disease.…”

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confidence: 91%

“…In a previous study, D. nodosus, F. necrophorum, and also treponemal bacteria were detected in a considerable proportion of CODD lesions (74%, 86%, and 70%, respectively) (37), but these bacteria were also detected in a substantial proportion of healthy foot tissue (31%, 46%, and 38%, respectively). However, this study did not discriminate between Treponema species as their respective PCR assay detects both pathogenic and commensal treponemes, the latter of which are found in the ruminant gastrointestinal (GI) tract and feces (39). Additionally, healthy bovine foot tissue samples often amplify treponemal DNA using the genus-specific PCR assay but fail to produce products using DD treponeme phylogroup PCR assays (32,39).…”

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confidence: 92%

“…Additionally, healthy bovine foot tissue samples often amplify treponemal DNA using the genus-specific PCR assay but fail to produce products using DD treponeme phylogroup PCR assays (32,39). Indeed, in a large survey of the dairy farm environment (39), nearly all samples were positive using the general Treponema PCR, suggesting it has little diagnostic value for clarifying relevant associations with clinical disease. There is a clear association with certain phylogroups of treponemes for BDD, and these treponemes are present only in BDD lesions and are completely absent from healthy bovine tissues and most environmental and fecal samples (32,39).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, in a large survey of the dairy farm environment (39), nearly all samples were positive using the general Treponema PCR, suggesting it has little diagnostic value for clarifying relevant associations with clinical disease. There is a clear association with certain phylogroups of treponemes for BDD, and these treponemes are present only in BDD lesions and are completely absent from healthy bovine tissues and most environmental and fecal samples (32,39). Therefore, the previous CODD study (37) provides no specific data on the presence/association of BDD-associated Treponema species with CODD lesions.…”

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confidence: 99%

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

Sullivan¹,

Clegg²,

Angell

et al. 2015

J Clin Microbiol

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Digital dermatitis (DD) is an infectious lameness commonly found in dairy cattle worldwide, and it is known as bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) or papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD). The disease was first reported in 1980 in the United States (1) and in the late 1980s in the United Kingdom (2). BDD has also been confirmed in beef cattle (3, 4), and over the last 30 years, the disease has been recognized as an important cause of bovine lameness (5).Lameness in cattle and sheep has serious animal welfare and economic implications (6-9). The effects of lameness in cattle include a decrease in milk yield (9, 10) and fertility (8, 11-13) and an increase in rate of culling (12,14). This has been found to be particularly true for cattle suffering from BDD (8, 15, 16) with a recent study of the cost of lameness in the United States estimating that on average, BDD costs $133 per case (17).BDD is now a worldwide problem, and controlling BDD on dairy operations has proven difficult. Moreover, in the last 20 years, sheep in the United Kingdom have been identified with a form of DD termed contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD), which is rapidly emerging as a severe infectious foot disease since it was first reported in the United Kingdom in 1997 (18-20). Now, CODD has spread into the Republic of Ireland (20), and it was recently reported in dairy goats in the United Kingdom (21), indicating further cross-species transmission. The contagious nature of DD is also evident by the reports of a manifestation of the disease in a wildlife host, North American elk (Cervus elaphus) from Washington State (22). The reports of DD in previously unaffected species, including U.S. wildlife, suggests a much greater global threat of the disease than previously considered.BDD in cattle manifests in several forms, but most frequently as an ulcerative lesion of the digital skin located immediately above the coronary band between the heel bulbs which results in severe lameness (23). The clinical features of CODD in sheep are slightly different, mainly because the initial lesion site on the sheep foot is different. CODD lesions commence at the coronary band and then run under the hoof horn capsule dorsally and abaxially (24). CODD frequently presents a particularly severe outcome where the whole horn capsule can be lost (18,(25)(26)(27). As a result of the severity of the lesions, sheep can be extremely lame, impacting the welfare of the affected sheep (28). This is concurrent with the lesion pathology identified in elk, described as erosive lesions on

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confidence: 91%

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confidence: 92%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Sullivan¹,

Clegg²,

Angell

et al. 2015

J Clin Microbiol

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“…Slurry may increase disease prevalence by acting as a reservoir for infectious agents (Laven, 1999), although the causative agents have not yet been found in slurry -a recent examination of dairy cow houses containing infected animals did not find the treponeme groups generally found in DD lesions in the slurry, even though they were found in rectal and oral tissues of some animals (Evans et al, 2012). An additional possibility is that slurry may damage the skin barrier and make it easier for bacteria to enter and cause infection, as the mixture of urine and faeces is thought to have keratolytic properties (Laven, 2001).…”

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confidence: 99%

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

Palmer

Donnelly

Garland

et al. 2013

Animal

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This study aimed to determine whether there was a difference in skin permeability to methylene blue dye or skin morphology between dairy cows that differed in their susceptibility to digital dermatitis (DD) and to assess the effect of contact with slurry on skin permeability. Twenty nine dairy cows were monitored for DD during the winter housing period and classed as DD1 (previous DD infection, n 5 17), or DD2 (no recorded infection, n 5 12). The animals were culled and a skin sample was taken from above the heel of each hind foot and frozen. Samples were later defrosted and one sample from each cow was tested for permeability, whereas the other was treated with slurry for 24 h before permeability testing. To test permeability, methylene blue dye was applied to the skin surface in a Franz diffusion cell. After 48 h, the amount of dye that had passed through the skin was estimated. The stratum corneum thickness and the density of hair follicles were determined from additional heel skin samples. Skin permeability to methylene blue dye was significantly greater for samples that had been treated with slurry but did not differ between DD1 and DD2 animals. No difference was found in the stratum corneum thickness or density of hair follicles between DD1 and DD2 animals. These findings imply that individual differences in general skin permeability are not a major factor in determining DD susceptibility and suggest that contact with slurry could contribute to DD infection by increasing the permeability of the skin, which may facilitate pathogen entry. Further work is required to clarify the role played by slurry in the pathogenesis of DD.

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Molecular detection of Treponema species organisms in foremilk and udder cleft skin of dairy cows with digital dermatitis

Sobhy

Mahmmod

Refaai

et al. 2019

Trop Anim Health Prod

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Identification of reservoirs and transmission routes of digital dermatitis (DD) associated Treponema spp. considered an effective means for controlling DD infection in dairy cows. The objective of this study is to identify and characterize the potential reservoir niches for DD-associated Treponema spp. from healthy udder cleft skin and foremilk in lactating dairy cows. A large dairy farm was visited weekly from March to July 2015. Clinical investigation revealed that a total of 25 lame cows had DD lesions located at the plantar aspect of the interdigital cleft. A total of 75 samples, three per cow, were collected including deep swabs from DD lesions (n=25), nonaseptically collected foremilk samples (n=25) and skin swabs from udder cleft (n=25). Treponema spp. were identified using nested PCR assays and confirmed by DNA sequencing. Results revealed that Treponema phagedenis (T. Phagedenis)-like was the most identified species in the foremilk 40% (10/25), in comparison to DD lesions and udder cleft skin samples with 32% (8/25) and 20% (5/25), respectively. On the other hand, Treponema pedis (T. Pedis) was the most identified species in the udder cleft skin 80% (20/25), in comparison to DD lesions and foremilk samples with 68% (17/25) and 60% (15/25), respectively. None of the examined samples were identified by PCR as containing DNA from Treponema medium (T. Medium) or Treponema vincentii (T. vincentii)-like. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report for detection of T. phagedenis-like and T. pedis from healthy skin of udder cleft and foremilk samples. Detection of DD Treponema spp. from udder cleft skin and foremilk samples indicates that these sites could be potential reservoirs for spirochetes involved in DD. Udder cleft skin and foremilk may have a role in transmission routes of DD Treponema in dairy farms.

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Host and environmental reservoirs of infection for bovine digital dermatitis treponemes

Cited by 61 publications

References 32 publications

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

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

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

Molecular detection of Treponema species organisms in foremilk and udder cleft skin of dairy cows with digital dermatitis

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