Identification and grouping of Dichelobacter nodosus, using PCR and sequence analysis

Dichelobacter nodosus is the causative agent of ovine foot rot, a disease t hat is a constant economic burden for many Western sheep ranches. Vaccinati on is one method of treating foot rot. A higher and more specific immune re sponse is observed when monovalent vaccines are used to treat foot rot, as compared to multivalent vaccines, which incorporate all 10 major New Zealan d D. nodosus serogroups. There is no single assay for specifically identify ing and grouping D. nodosus for the purpose of incorporating only the desir ed serogroup(s) in a vaccine. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay was used to specifically identify and group D. nodosus from a fool rot les ion. Identification and grouping was determined by predicted fragment size analysis and nucleotide sequence information. The PCR approach vastly impro ves the accuracy in identifying and grouping D. nodosus from a foot rot les ion. (C) 1999 Academic Press.