Improved and objective diagnostic tool for digital dermatitis in cattle and footrot/contagious ovine digital dermatitis in sheep

Background

Digital dermatitis (DD) in cattle and footrot in sheep are prevalent claw diseases worldwide, with contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) in sheep recently identified in Sweden. These conditions cause painful lesions that can result in lameness and significant production losses. Currently, diagnoses are primarily based on clinical inspection, a method that requires specialized expertise and in case of cattle, fixation of the animals.

Project Overview

Identification of antigens in bacteria causing or that are associated with the diseases will be performed using available genome sequences and bioinformatics. These antigens will be produced on a large scale and evaluated in serological tests (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay - ELISA). To enable test evaluation, blood and milk samples will be collected from both cattle and sheep herds where the respective diseases occur, as well as from herds where disease have not been detected. An epidemiological analysis of bulk milk samples from a large number of dairy herds in Sweden will also be conducted, applying the DD test to study the prevalence of the disease in the country.

Aims

The aim of this project is to develop laboratory diagnostics for DD, footrot, and CODD to enable an objective and reliable assessment of the disease status. Such diagnostics would allow for the analysis of a large number of samples, facilitating the monitoring of these diseases across the entire population and over time. This could serve as a basis for decisions regarding possible measures and treatment strategies.