Genomic Detection of Bovine Digital Dermatitis Treponemes in Sole Ulcers

Abstract

Objective- Evaluation of possible contamination of sole ulcers with digital dermatitis Treponema spp . Design- Clinical detection Animals- Thirty-three cows with sole ulcer lesion. Procedures- Hoof trimmings were done by professional veterinarian hoof trimmer on a regular basis. Sole ulcer and digital dermatitis recorded as a wounded lesion in zone 4 and 10 of the hooves during hoof trimming and recorded in special sheets. A total of Thirty-three tissue samples from sole ulcers in zone 4 of digits were taken and the 16S rRNA gene was followed by PCR assay. Results- Annual incidence of clinical digital dermatitis recorded as 7.1 percent as the second prevalent digital lesion in the farm following sole ulcer. Treponema spp . was found in 42 percent of the samples, none of the positive samples show concurrent lesion of digital dermatitis and sole ulcer.Conclusion and Clinical Relevance- Since no concurrent lesions were found in sole ulcer samples, finding Treponema spp. in tissues may be a result of the possible pathogenic presence of the bacteria in this region. Multifactorial causes of sole ulcer make different clinical presentations for the lesion and a microbial cause for the sole ulcer that led to non-healing ulcers were reported.