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

Anna Stäuble; Adrian Steiner; Joachim Frey; Peter Kuhnert

doi:10.1128/JCM.03485-13

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

J Clin Microbiol. 2014 Apr;52(4):1228-31. doi: 10.1128/JCM.03485-13. Epub 2014 Jan 22.

Authors

Anna Stäuble¹, Adrian Steiner, Joachim Frey, Peter Kuhnert

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Abstract

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.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Bacterial Proteins / analysis*
Bacterial Proteins / genetics
Bacterial Typing Techniques / methods*
Dichelobacter nodosus / isolation & purification*
Foot Rot / diagnosis*
Foot Rot / microbiology
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
Serine Endopeptidases / analysis*
Serine Endopeptidases / genetics
Sheep
Sheep Diseases / diagnosis*
Sheep Diseases / microbiology

Substances

Bacterial Proteins
B2 protease, Dichelobacter nodosus
Serine Endopeptidases
V2 protease, Dichelobacter nodosus