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

• Autor(a) principal: Albuquerque, Catarina
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Cavaco, Sandra, Caetano, Pedro, Branco, Sandra, Monteiro, Helena, Ramos, Marcos, Usié Chimenos, Anabel, Leão, Célia, Botelho, Ana
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10174/30864; https://doi.org/Ovine footrot in Southern Portugal: detection of Dichelobacter nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum in sheep with different lesion scores”. Catarina Albuquerque, Sandra Cavaco, Pedro Caetano, Sandra Branco, Helena Monteiro, Marcos Ramos, Anabel Usié Chimenos, Célia Leão, Ana Botelho. Veterinary Microbiology Available online 10 January 2022, 109339. Doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2022.109339; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2022.109339
• topic: ovine footrot; interdigital dermatitis; Dichelobacter nodosus; usobacterium necrophorum; merino breed

The Mediterranean climate region of Alentejo in the Southern of Portugal is an important sheep production centre but little is known about the presence and characteristics of Dichelobacter nodosus in association with Fusobacterium necrophorum in the different footrot lesion scores. DNA from 261 interdigital biopsy samples, taken from 14 footrot affected flocks and from three non-affected flocks, were analysed for the presence of D. nodosus and F. necrophorum by real-time PCR. Both virulence and serogroup were determined for 132 and 53 D. nodosus positive biopsy samples, respectively. The co-infection with both bacteria was the commonest epidemiological finding associated with a greater disease severity. There was a statistically significant association (p =  0.002) between footrot-affected flocks and the presence of D. nodosus. Most D. nodosus positive samples were virulent (96.2%) and belonged to serogroup B (90%).