title: Detection and Isolation of Digital Dermatitis Treponemes from Bovine Pressure Sores.
abstract: Pressure sores cause severe pain and discomfort in hospitalized people and in farmed cattle and are often infected with unknown bacteria. Pressure sores occur on the upper legs of 6-10% of recumbent cattle and are generally considered to be caused by constant pressure, commonly on bony areas of the limbs. This study analyzed pressure sores taken from the upper limbs of 14 cattle using isolation in culture and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect treponemes associated with digital dermatitis (DD). A 100% association of DD treponemes with the pressure sores was demonstrated, but treponemes were shown not to be part of the normal skin microbiota. Immunohistochemistry showed an association of DD treponemes with lesions and particularly with the hair follicles in lesions, identifying the bacteria deep within wounds, thereby suggesting that they could contribute to lesion pathogenesis. The bacteria isolated from the pressure sore lesions were similar or identical on analysis of the 16S rRNA gene to those found in DD foot lesions in cattle, suggesting the same bacteria can infect multiple lesions. Indeed, the results of this study suggest that these spirochaetal bacteria may be expanding in host range and in their ability to colonize different tissues and contribute to a range of disease manifestations in farm animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Biology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, School of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool Science Park IC2, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, UK. Electronic address: S.R.Clegg@liv.ac.uk.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Clegg
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, School of Veterinary Science, Leahurst, Chester High Road, Neston, UK.
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Crosby-Durrani
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Biology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, School of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool Science Park IC2, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, School of Veterinary Science, Leahurst, Chester High Road, Neston, UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blundell
authors.affiliation: University of Liverpool and Wood Veterinary Group, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, UK.
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Blowey
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Biology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, School of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool Science Park IC2, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Biology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, School of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool Science Park IC2, 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D058066:Digital Dermatitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000662:veterinary*; D014211:Treponemal Infections / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: Treponema spp.; bovine; pathology; pressure sore