Genomic Detection of Bovine Digital Dermatitis Treponemes in Sole Ulcers

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 nonhealing ulcers were reported.