Fusobacterium necrophorum, and not Dichelobacter nodosus, is associated with equine hoof thrush.

This research article suggests that Fusobacterium necrophorum, not Dichelobacter nodosus, is the bacterial species associated with equine hoof thrush, a common disease affecting horse hooves.

Objective of the Study

The primary objective of this study was to identify if either of two bacterial species – Fusobacterium necrophorum or Dichelobacter nodosus – are associated with hoof thrush, a disease affecting horses.

Methodology

• The researchers collected a total of 28 samples: 14 from eight horses affected by thrush and 14 from eight horses with healthy hooves.
• These samples were examined for the presence of the two bacterial species in question, as well as for Fusobacterium equinum, using a culturing process.
• Further, a technique called DNA amplification using ‘primers’ or short DNA sequences, specifically designed from two specific genes, was also employed.

Findings and Results

• The culturing process could only yield bacterial isolates representing the Fusobacterium genus.
• The gene amplification process revealed the presence of the gene lktA, found in Fusobacterium necrophorum, in five infected samples and one healthy hoof sample.
• The sequenced gene was identical to the reference genome of Fusobacterium necrophorum listed in GenBank, an open-access gene database.
• Significantly, no DNA amplifications were found for the gene fimA, associated with Dichelobacter nodosus.

Conclusion

These results lead to the conclusion that Fusobacterium necrophorum, and not Dichelobacter nodosus, is associated with equine hoof thrush. This is a divergence from the etiology of footrot observed in sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs, where both bacterial species act together to cause the disease.