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Jost SM, Cardona L, Rohrbach E, Mathis A, Holliger C, Verhulst NO. Environment rather than breed or body site shapes the skin bacterial community of healthy sheep as revealed by metabarcoding. Vet Dermatol 2024; 35:273-283. [PMID: 38082464 DOI: 10.1111/vde.13223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The skin is inhabited by a variety of micro-organisms, with bacteria representing the predominant taxon of the skin microbiome. In sheep, the skin bacterial community of healthy animals has been addressed in few studies, only with culture-based methods or sequencing of cloned amplicons. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to determine the sheep skin bacterial community composition by using metabarcoding for a detailed characterisation and to determine the effect of body part, breed and environment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Overall, 267 samples were taken from 89 adult female sheep, belonging to three different breeds and kept on nine different farms in Switzerland. From every individual, one sample each was taken from belly, left ear and left leg and metabarcoding of the 16S rRNA V3-V4 hypervariable region was performed. RESULTS The main phyla identified were Actinobacteriota, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Bacteriodota. The alpha diversity as determined by Shannon's diversity index was significantly different between sheep from different farms. Beta diversity analysis by principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed clustering of the samples by farm and body site, while breed had only a marginal influence. A sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) revealed seven main groups of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of which groups of OTUs were specific for some farms. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE These findings indicate that environment has a larger influence on skin microbial variability than breed, although the sampled breeds, the most abundant ones in Switzerland, are phenotypically similar. Future studies on the sheep skin microbiome may lead to novel insights in skin diseases and prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie M Jost
- Vetsuisse and Medical Faculty, Vector Entomology unit, National Centre for Vector Entomology, Institute of Parasitology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Laëtitia Cardona
- Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Emmanuelle Rohrbach
- Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Mathis
- Vetsuisse and Medical Faculty, Vector Entomology unit, National Centre for Vector Entomology, Institute of Parasitology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christof Holliger
- Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Niels O Verhulst
- Vetsuisse and Medical Faculty, Vector Entomology unit, National Centre for Vector Entomology, Institute of Parasitology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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Gaspar D, Ginja C, Carolino N, Leão C, Monteiro H, Tábuas L, Branco S, Padre L, Caetano P, Romão R, Matos C, Ramos AM, Bettencourt E, Usié A. Genome-wide association study identifies genetic variants underlying footrot in Portuguese Merino sheep. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:100. [PMID: 38262937 PMCID: PMC10804546 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09844-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
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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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Gaspar
- Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola E Agro-Alimentar Do Alentejo (CEBAL)/ Instituto Politécnico de Beja (IPBeja), 7801-908, Beja, Portugal
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, R. Padre Armando Quintas 7, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, Campus do Varão, Campus de Vairão, R. Padre Armando Quintas 7, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Catarina Ginja
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, R. Padre Armando Quintas 7, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, Campus do Varão, Campus de Vairão, R. Padre Armando Quintas 7, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
- CIISA, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Nuno Carolino
- CIISA, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária E Veterinária, I.P. (INIAV, I.P.), Avenida da República, Quinta Do Marquês, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
- Escola Universitária Vasco da Gama, Av. José R. Sousa Fernandes 197, 3020-210, Lordemão, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Célia Leão
- Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola E Agro-Alimentar Do Alentejo (CEBAL)/ Instituto Politécnico de Beja (IPBeja), 7801-908, Beja, Portugal
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária E Veterinária, I.P. (INIAV, I.P.), Avenida da República, Quinta Do Marquês, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
- MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, CEBAL - Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Alentejo, 7801-908, Beja, Portugal
| | | | | | - Sandra Branco
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of Évora, Polo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Escola de Ciências E Tecnologia, Évora University, Pólo da Mitra Ap. 94, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal
| | - Ludovina Padre
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of Évora, Polo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal
| | - Pedro Caetano
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of Évora, Polo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Romão
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of Évora, Polo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal
| | | | - António Marcos Ramos
- Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola E Agro-Alimentar Do Alentejo (CEBAL)/ Instituto Politécnico de Beja (IPBeja), 7801-908, Beja, Portugal
- MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, CEBAL - Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Alentejo, 7801-908, Beja, Portugal
| | - Elisa Bettencourt
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of Évora, Polo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal
| | - Ana Usié
- Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola E Agro-Alimentar Do Alentejo (CEBAL)/ Instituto Politécnico de Beja (IPBeja), 7801-908, Beja, Portugal.
- MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, CEBAL - Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Alentejo, 7801-908, Beja, Portugal.
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Usié A, Leão C, Gaspar D, Monteiro H, Tábuas L, Bettencourt E, Caetano P, Padre L, Carolino N, Ramos AM, de Matos C, Branco S. A metagenomics approach to characterize the footrot microbiome in Merino sheep. Vet Microbiol 2023; 281:109745. [PMID: 37080086 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2023.109745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
In the Portuguese Alentejo region, Merino sheep breed is the most common breed, reared for the production of meat, dairy, and wool. Footrot is responsible for lameness, decreased animal welfare, and higher production losses, generating a negative economic impact. The disease is caused by Dichelobacter nodosus that interacts with the sheep foot microbiome, to date largely uncharacterized. In fact, Dichelobacter nodosus is not able to induce footrot by itself being required the presence of a second pathogen known as Fusobacterium necrophorum. To understand and characterize the footrot microbiome dynamics of different footrot lesion scores, a whole metagenome sequencing (WMGS) approach was used. Foot tissue samples were collected from 212 animals with different degrees of footrot lesion scores, ranging from 0 to 5. Distinct bacterial communities were associated with feet with different footrot scores identifying a total of 63 phyla and 504 families. As the severity of footrot infection increases the microorganisms' diversity decreases triggering a shift in the composition of the microbiome from a dominant gram-positive in mild stages to a dominant gram-negative in the severe stages. Several species previously associated with footrot and other polymicrobial diseases affecting the epidermis and provoking inflammatory responses such as Treponema spp., Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp. and Campylobacter spp. were identified proliferating along with the lesions' severity. Although these bacteria are not able to initiate footrot, several evidences have been described supporting their association with the severity and incidence increase of footrot lesions caused by Dichelobacter nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum. Further investigation is required to establish the roles of particular taxa and identify which of them play a role in the disease process and which are opportunistic pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Usié
- Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Alentejo (CEBAL) / Instituto Politécnico de Beja (IPBeja), 7801-908 Beja, Portugal; MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, CEBAL - Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Alentejo, 7801-908 Beja, Portugal.
| | - Célia Leão
- Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Alentejo (CEBAL) / Instituto Politécnico de Beja (IPBeja), 7801-908 Beja, Portugal; MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, CEBAL - Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Alentejo, 7801-908 Beja, Portugal; Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P. (INIAV, I.P.), Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Daniel Gaspar
- Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Alentejo (CEBAL) / Instituto Politécnico de Beja (IPBeja), 7801-908 Beja, Portugal; BIOPOIS-CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Helena Monteiro
- Associação de Agricultores do Sul (ACOS), Rua Cidade De São Paulo, Aptd. 294, Beja, Portugal
| | - Lino Tábuas
- Associação de Agricultores do Sul (ACOS), Rua Cidade De São Paulo, Aptd. 294, Beja, Portugal
| | - Elisa Bettencourt
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of Évora, Polo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - Pedro Caetano
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of Évora, Polo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - Ludovina Padre
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of Évora, Polo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - Nuno Carolino
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P. (INIAV, I.P.), Avenida da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - António Marcos Ramos
- Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Alentejo (CEBAL) / Instituto Politécnico de Beja (IPBeja), 7801-908 Beja, Portugal; MED - Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, CEBAL - Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Alentejo, 7801-908 Beja, Portugal
| | - Claudino de Matos
- Associação de Agricultores do Sul (ACOS), Rua Cidade De São Paulo, Aptd. 294, Beja, Portugal.
| | - Sandra Branco
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of Évora, Polo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal.
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Bhardwaj V, Dhungyel OP, de Silva K, Dhand NK, Whittington RJ. The role of foot conformation in susceptibility of Merino sheep to footrot. Small Rumin Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2022.106850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Clifton R, Monaghan EM, Green MJ, Purdy KJ, Green LE. Differences in composition of interdigital skin microbiota predict sheep and feet that develop footrot. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8931. [PMID: 35624131 PMCID: PMC9142565 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12772-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Footrot has a major impact on health and productivity of sheep worldwide. The current paradigm for footrot pathogenesis is that physical damage to the interdigital skin (IDS) facilitates invasion of the essential pathogen Dichelobacter nodosus. The composition of the IDS microbiota is different in healthy and diseased feet, so an alternative hypothesis is that changes in the IDS microbiota facilitate footrot. We investigated the composition and diversity of the IDS microbiota of ten sheep, five that did develop footrot and five that did not (healthy) at weekly intervals for 20 weeks. The IDS microbiota was less diverse on sheep 2 + weeks before they developed footrot than on healthy sheep. This change could be explained by only seven of > 2000 bacterial taxa detected. The incubation period of footrot is 8–10 days, and there was a further reduction in microbial diversity on feet that developed footrot in that incubation period. We conclude that there are two stages of dysbiosis in footrot: the first predisposes sheep to footrot and the second occurs in feet during the incubation of footrot. These findings represent a step change in our understanding of the role of the IDS microbiota in footrot pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Clifton
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK.
| | - Emma M Monaghan
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
| | - Martin J Green
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire, UK
| | - Kevin J Purdy
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Laura E Green
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
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Marshall HJ, Blanchard AM, Kelly KR, Goh JN, Williams AD, King L, Lovatt F, Davies PL, Tötemeyer S. The impact of glutaraldehyde based footbaths on Dichelobacter nodosus prevalence and the antimicrobial resistant community of the ovine interdigital skin. Vet Microbiol 2022; 272:109459. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2022.109459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Suminda GGD, Bhandari S, Won Y, Goutam U, Kanth Pulicherla K, Son YO, Ghosh M. High-throughput sequencing technologies in the detection of livestock pathogens, diagnosis, and zoonotic surveillance. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:5378-5392. [PMID: 36212529 PMCID: PMC9526013 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.09.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing globalization, agricultural intensification, urbanization, and climatic changes have resulted in a significant recent increase in emerging infectious zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases are becoming more common, so innovative, effective, and integrative research is required to better understand their transmission, ecological implications, and dynamics at wildlife-human interfaces. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) methodologies have enormous potential for unraveling these contingencies and improving our understanding, but they are only now beginning to be realized in livestock research. This study investigates the current state of use of sequencing technologies in the detection of livestock pathogens such as bovine, dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), sheep (Ovis aries), pigs (Sus scrofa), horses (Equus caballus), chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), and ducks (Anatidae) as well as how it can improve the monitoring and detection of zoonotic infections. We also described several high-throughput sequencing approaches for improved detection of known, unknown, and emerging infectious agents, resulting in better infectious disease diagnosis, as well as surveillance of zoonotic infectious diseases. In the coming years, the continued advancement of sequencing technologies will improve livestock research and hasten the development of various new genomic and technological studies on farm animals.
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Zanolari P, Dürr S, Jores J, Steiner A, Kuhnert P. Ovine footrot: A review of current knowledge. Vet J 2021; 271:105647. [PMID: 33840488 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2021.105647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Footrot is a contagious foot disease mainly affecting sheep. It is caused by the Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium Dichelobacter nodosus. Warm, wet environmental conditions favour development of footrot, and under perfect conditions, it takes just 2-3 weeks from infection to manifestation of clinical signs. Affected sheep show lameness of various degrees and often graze while resting on their carpi. Local clinical signs vary in severity and extent from interdigital inflammation (benign footrot) to underrunning of the complete horn shoe in advanced stages of virulent footrot. Laboratory diagnosis ideally involves collection of four-foot interdigital swab samples followed by competitive real time PCR, allowing for detection of the presence of D. nodosus and differentiation between benign and virulent strains. Laboratory-based diagnostics at the flock level based on risk-based sampling and pooling of interdigital swab samples are recommended. The list of treatment options of individual sheep includes careful removal of the loose undermined horn, local or systemic administration of antimicrobials, systemic administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and disinfectant footbathing. Strategies for control at the flock level are manifold and depend on the environmental conditions and the procedures traditionally implemented by the respective country. Generally, measures consist of treatment/culling of infected sheep, vaccination and prevention of reinfection of disease-free flocks. Gaining deeper insight into the beneficial effects of NSAIDs, screening for eco-friendly footbath solutions, developing better vaccines, including the development of a robust, reproducible infection model and elucidation of protective immune responses, as well as the elaboration of effective awareness training programs for sheep farmers, are relevant research gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrik Zanolari
- Clinic for Ruminants, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Salome Dürr
- Veterinary Public Health Institute, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jörg Jores
- Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Adrian Steiner
- Clinic for Ruminants, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Peter Kuhnert
- Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Duncan JS, Angell JW, Richards P, Lenzi L, Staton GJ, Grove-White D, Clegg S, Oikonomou G, Carter SD, Evans NJ. The dysbiosis of ovine foot microbiome during the development and treatment of contagious ovine digital dermatitis. Anim Microbiome 2021; 3:19. [PMID: 33597028 PMCID: PMC7888161 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-021-00078-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Contagious Ovine Digital Dermatitis (CODD) is an emerging and common infectious foot disease of sheep which causes severe welfare and economic problems for the sheep industry. The aetiology of the disease is not fully understood and control of the disease is problematic. The aim of this study was to investigate the polybacterial aetiopathogenesis of CODD and the effects of antibiotic treatment, in a longitudinal study of an experimentally induced disease outbreak using a 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing approach. RESULTS CODD was induced in 15/30 experimental sheep. During the development of CODD three distinct phenotypic lesion stages were observed. These were an initial interdigital dermatitis (ID) lesion, followed by a footrot (FR) lesion, then finally a CODD lesion. Distinct microbiota were observed for each lesion in terms of microbial diversity, clustering and composition. Porphyromonadaceae, Family XI, Veillonellaceae and Fusobacteriaceae were significantly associated with the diseased feet. Veillonellaceae and Fusobacteriaceae were most associated with the earlier stages of ID and footrot rather than CODD. Following antibiotic treatment of the sheep, the foot microbiota showed a strong tendency to return to the composition of the healthy state. The microbiota composition of CODD lesions collected by swab and biopsy methods were different. In particular, the Spirochaetaceae family were more abundant in samples collected by the biopsy method, suggesting that these bacteria are present in deeper tissues of the diseased foot. CONCLUSION In this study, CODD presented as part of a spectrum of poly-bacterial foot disease strongly associated with bacterial families Porphyromonadaceae, Family XI (a family in Clostridiales also known as Clostridium cluster XI), Veillonellaceae and Fusobacteriaceae which are predominately Gram-negative anaerobes. Following antibiotic treatment, the microbiome showed a strong tendency to return to the composition of the healthy state. The composition of the healthy foot microbiome does not influence susceptibility to CODD. Based on the data presented here and that CODD appears to be the severest end stage of sheep infectious foot disease lesions, better control of the initial ID and FR lesions would enable better control of CODD and enable better animal welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. S. Duncan
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Science, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, Wirral CH64 7TE UK
| | - J. W. Angell
- Wern Veterinary Surgeons, Department of Research and Innovation, Unit 11, Lon Parcwr Industrial Estate, Ruthin, LL15 1NJ UK
| | - P. Richards
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Science, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, Wirral CH64 7TE UK
| | - L. Lenzi
- Centre for Genomic Research, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZB UK
| | - G. J. Staton
- Department of Infection Biology & Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Science, The University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, Wirral CH64 7TE UK
| | - D. Grove-White
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Science, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, Wirral CH64 7TE UK
| | - S. Clegg
- School of Life Sciences, College of Science, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool Campus, Lincoln, LN6 7TS UK
| | - G. Oikonomou
- Department of Livestock and One Health, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Science, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, Wirral CH64 7TE UK
| | - S. D. Carter
- Department of Infection Biology & Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Science, The University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, Wirral CH64 7TE UK
| | - N. J. Evans
- Department of Infection Biology & Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Science, The University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, Wirral CH64 7TE UK
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