Simultaneous detection and discrimination of virulent and benign Dichelobacter nodosus in sheep of flocks affected by foot rot and in clinically healthy flocks by competitive real-time PCR.
Ovine foot rot caused by Dichelobacter nodosus is affecting sheep worldwide. The current diagnostic methods are difficult and cumbersome. Here, we present a competitive real-time PCR based on allelic discrimination of the protease genes aprV2 and aprB2. This method allows direct detection and differentiation of virulent and benign D. nodosus from interdigital skin swabs in a single test. Clinically affected sheep harbored high loads of only virulent strains, whereas healthy sheep had lower loads of predominantly benign strains.
Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Anna
A
Stäuble
Adrian
A
Steiner
Joachim
J
Frey
Peter
P
Kuhnert
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D020376:Dichelobacter nodosus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005535:Foot Rot / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C097834:B2 protease, Dichelobacter nodosus; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; C097833:V2 protease, Dichelobacter nodosus