Update on footrot in south-west Germany.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Microbiology
• Sheep Infectious Diseases
• Bacterial Pathogenesis

Background:

• Footrot is a contagious ovine foot disease caused by Dichelobacter nodosus.
• Effective management strategies, including vaccination, are crucial for controlling ovine footrot.
• Understanding the epidemiology and virulence of circulating D. nodosus strains is essential for vaccine efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To serotype and assess the virulence of Dichelobacter nodosus strains from sheep flocks in southwest Germany.
• To determine the prevalence of different D. nodosus serovars and their association with virulence.
• To evaluate the suitability of current commercial footrot vaccines for the studied sheep population.

Main Methods:

• Isolation and identification of Dichelobacter nodosus strains from footrot-affected sheep.
• Serotyping of D. nodosus isolates to determine serovar prevalence.
• Virulence assessment of D. nodosus strains through laboratory or field-based methods.

Main Results:

• A total of 82 D. nodosus strains were analyzed from 9 sheep flocks.
• Serovar B was the predominant serovar, found in all flocks and comprising 64.4% of isolates.
• Virulent strains were detected in 5 flocks, intermediate strains in all 9 flocks, and untypeable strains were avirulent.

Conclusions:

• Serovar B is the most prevalent Dichelobacter nodosus serovar in southwest German sheep flocks.
• The presence of virulent and intermediate strains across multiple flocks supports the need for effective control measures.
• Current commercial footrot vaccines are deemed appropriate for use in southwest German sheep populations based on these epidemiological findings.