Ovine footrot in Southern Portugal: Detection of Dichelobacter nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum in sheep with different lesion scores

Albuquerque, Catarina; Cavaco, Sandra; Caetano, Pedro; Branco, Sandra; Monteiro, Helena Serra Azul; Ramos, M F; Usié, Ana; Leão, Célia; Botelho, Ana

doi:10.1016/j.vetmic.2022.109339

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Our results, obtained after nucleic acid extraction from pools of swabs, confirm that infections by a single D. nodosus serogroup are not a constant occurrence, as has been previously reported by different groups [27][28][29].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Molecular Diagnosis of Footrot and Contagious Ovine Digital Dermatitis in Small Ruminants in the Iberian Peninsula

Benito,

Anía,

Ramo

et al. 2024

Animals

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Contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) and footrot (FR), a sub-acute or acute necrotic (decaying) infectious disease involving the hoof and underlying tissues, pose economic challenges to herds in Spain and worldwide. The aetiological agent for FR is Dichelobacter nodosus, while CODD is caused by pathogenic Treponema phylogroups. We detail the findings derived from the analysis by qPCR of 105 pooled samples from 100 ovine and five caprine herds in Spain and Portugal, alongside 15 samples from healthy flocks in order to identify Dichelobacter nodosus, Fusobacterium necrophorum, Treponema spp., and three pathogenic Treponema phylogroups (T. phagedenis, T. medium, and T. pedis). Treponema spp. were detected in all 120 pools, including samples from the 15 healthy flocks where only one positive result for F. necrophorum was recorded. Mixed infections by agents different from Treponema spp. were identified in 68.57% of samples. Positive results for F. necrophorum and/or D. nodosus, were obtained for 91.4% of the pools, whereas the presence of the three pathogenic Treponema phylogroups was rare: each of them appeared in isolation in a single pool, while they were found in 18 pools in combination with other agents. While F. necrophorum was the sole finding in 16.2% of samples from affected herds, D. nodosus (the footrot causative agent) was only detected in 61% of affected farms. An improved qPCR protocol was implemented to determine the serogroups of D. nodosus in the samples and found all of them (except the G serogroup), often in combined infections (35.1%). This report concludes with comprehensive proposals for diagnosing, preventing, and treating hoof ailments, remarking the interest of the information about D. nodosus serogroups in order to improve the efficiency of immunization by choosing appropriate vaccine protocols.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Molecular Diagnosis of Footrot and Contagious Ovine Digital Dermatitis in Small Ruminants in the Iberian Peninsula

Benito,

Anía,

Ramo

et al. 2024

Animals

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“…Several studies in Bhutan [14], India [15], Portugal [39], Australia [40], Great Britain [41], and New Zealand [42] reported dominance of serogroup B of D. nodosus which was not present in this study. In addition, ten samples among 31 were positives for two or three serogroups of D. nodosus simultaneously, which was in agreement with other studies that reported mixed infection with several serogroups on a single footrot lesion [33,39]. These findings provide valuable information for developing herd-specific vaccines, which are made from isolated bacteria in the region and are more efficient than multivalent commercial vaccines [33,42].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 79%

“…Several studies in Bhutan [ 14 ], India [ 15 ], Portugal [ 39 ], Australia [ 40 ], Great Britain [ 41 ], and New Zealand [ 42 ] reported dominance of serogroup B of D. nodosus which was not present in this study. In addition, ten samples among 31 were positives for two or three serogroups of D. nodosus simultaneously, which was in agreement with other studies that reported mixed infection with several serogroups on a single footrot lesion [ 33 , 39 ].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 68%

“…However, in 24 positive cattle samples, infection was associated more frequently with D. nodosus and F. necrophorum in 50%, 29.2% with D. nodosus alone, and 21% with F. necrophorum alone. However, in the study of Albuquerque et al [39], the coinfection with both bacteria was associated with greater disease severity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…However, in the study of Albuquerque et al . [ 39 ], the coinfection with both bacteria was associated with greater disease severity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The prevalence, virulence, and serogroups of Dichelobacter nodosus and prevalence of Fusobacterium necrophorum in footrot lesions of sheep and cattle in Morocco

Bamouh¹,

Elkarhat

Zouagui

et al. 2023

Vet World

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Background and Aim: Footrot is a contagious disease of ruminants leading to severe economic losses. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence, virulence, and serogroups of Dichelobacter nodosus and the prevalence of Fusobacterium necrophorum in footrot lesions of sheep and cattle. Materials and Methods: A total of 106 pathogenic lesion samples were taken from 74 sheep and 32 cattle exhibiting typical footrot lesions and were analyzed for the presence of D. nodosus and F. necrophorum by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Both virulence and serogroup were estimated for D. nodosus positive samples. Results: Among the 106 samples, 89 were positive by PCR for F. necrophorum, D. nodosus, or both. Dichelobacter nodosus was detected at a rate of 78.3% versus 28.3% for F. necrophorum. Virulent D. nodosus strains were detected in 67.5% of positive samples, with a higher rate in sheep (73.4%) than in cattle (47.4%). Benign D. nodosus strains were detected in 57.8% of samples, with a lower prevalence rate in sheep (50%) than in cattle (84.2%). The positive samples of D. nodosus revealed the presence of three dominant serogroups (D, H, I) and three minor serogroups (G, C, A) by serogroup-specific multiplex PCR. Conclusion: The findings provided information on the prevalence of D. nodosus and F. necrophorum strains in footrot lesions of sheep and cattle in some regions of Morocco, which will be useful for developing an effective autovaccine for the prevention of this disease in cattle and sheep in these regions. Keywords: cattle, Dichelobacter nodosus, footrot, Fusobacterium necrophorum, polymerase chain reaction, sheep.

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Genome-wide association study identifies genetic variants underlying footrot in Portuguese Merino sheep

Gaspar,

Ginja,

Carolino

et al. 2024

BMC Genomics

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Background Ovine footrot caused by Dichelobacter nodosus (D. nodosus) is a contagious disease with serious economic and welfare impacts in sheep production systems worldwide. A better understanding of the host genetic architecture regarding footrot resistance/susceptibility is crucial to develop disease control strategies that efficiently reduce infection and its severity. A genome-wide association study was performed using a customized SNP array (47,779 SNPs in total) to identify genetic variants associated to footrot resistance/susceptibility in two Portuguese native breeds, i.e. Merino Branco and Merino Preto, and a population of crossbred animals. A cohort of 1375 sheep sampled across 17 flocks, located in the Alentejo region (southern Portugal), was included in the analyses. Results Phenotypes were scored from 0 (healthy) to 5 (severe footrot) based on visual inspection of feet lesions, following the Modified Egerton System. Using a linear mixed model approach, three SNPs located on chromosome 24 reached genome-wide significance after a Bonferroni correction (p < 0.05). Additionally, six genome-wide suggestive SNPs were identified each on chromosomes 2, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 15. The annotation and KEGG pathway analyses showed that these SNPs are located within regions of candidate genes such as the nonsense mediated mRNA decay associated PI3K related kinase (SMG1) (chromosome 24) and the RALY RNA binding protein like (RALYL) (chromosome 9), both involved in immunity, and the heparan sulfate proteoglycan 2 (HSPG2) (chromosome 2) and the Thrombospodin 1 (THBS1) (chromosome 7) implicated in tissue repair and wound healing processes. Conclusion This is the first attempt to identify molecular markers associated with footrot in Portuguese Merino sheep. These findings provide relevant information on a likely genetic association underlying footrot resistance/susceptibility and the potential candidate genes affecting this trait. Genetic selection strategies assisted on the information obtained from this study could enhance Merino sheep-breeding programs, in combination with farm management strategies, for a more effective and sustainable long-term solution for footrot control.

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Ovine footrot in Southern Portugal: Detection of Dichelobacter nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum in sheep with different lesion scores

Cited by 3 publications

References 14 publications

Molecular Diagnosis of Footrot and Contagious Ovine Digital Dermatitis in Small Ruminants in the Iberian Peninsula

Molecular Diagnosis of Footrot and Contagious Ovine Digital Dermatitis in Small Ruminants in the Iberian Peninsula

The prevalence, virulence, and serogroups of Dichelobacter nodosus and prevalence of Fusobacterium necrophorum in footrot lesions of sheep and cattle in Morocco

Genome-wide association study identifies genetic variants underlying footrot in Portuguese Merino sheep

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