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Background: Lameness is a collective term for multiple foot diseases in cattle including, but not limited to, foot rot (FR), digital dermatitis (DD), and toe tip necrosis (TTN), which is a critical welfare concern. The diagnosis of specific phenotypes of lameness in feedlot cattle is challenging and primarily relies on visual assessments. However, different lameness phenotypes share similar clinical symptoms and there is a limited understanding of potential biomarkers relating to such disease for further molecular diagnosis. This study aimed to identify blood miRNA profiles of feedlot cattle with various lameness phenotypes and whether they could be potential diagnostic markers to differentiate lameness phenotypes and predictive lameness recovery. Results: MicroRNAome profiles were generated for the whole blood samples collected from feedlot cattle at Week 0 (W0) before treatment (n = 106) and longitudinal miRNA expression profiles relating to lameness recovery from W0 to W2 (n = 140) using RNA-seq. Ten miRNAs were selected to verify miRNA sequencing accuracy using stem-loop RT-qPCR. A total of 321 miRNAs were identified to be expressed in bovine blood samples with three (all downregulated, average log2fold change = -1.32), seven (two downregulated with average log2fold change = -1.15, five upregulated with average log2fold change = 1.68), six (three downregulated with average log2fold change = -1.23, three upregulated with average log2fold change = 3.31), and fourteen (eight downregulated with average log2fold change = -1.24, six upregulated with average log2fold change = 1.26) miRNAs differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs in DD, FR, TTN, and FR combined with DD (FRDD) compared to healthy control at W0 (defined as pre-treatment DE miRNAs), respectively. The predicted functions of identified DE miRNAs among different lameness phenotypes were mainly related to Zinc-finger, muscle cell development, and host inflammatory responses. Furthermore, the longitudinal miRNA expression profiles revealed that a total of eight miRNA changed patterns from W0 to W2, with the BTB/POZ-like domain being the most enriched function by longitudinal miRNA expression profiles in both unrecovered and recovered cattle. A total of nine miRNAs (five downregulated with average log2fold change = -2.4, four upregulated with average log2fold change = 3.7) from W0 to W2 were differentially expressed in unrecovered cattle compared to the recovered cattle, with functions associated with transcription regulation and Zinc-finger. Moreover, the area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve (AUC) revealed that pre-treatment DE miRNAs could serve as good diagnostic markers to differentiate any two of four phenotypes of lameness, with bta-miR-339b being able to differentiate all lameness phenotypes. Moreover, pre-treatment DE miRNAs could also predict the recovery of three lameness phenotypes (DD, FRDD, TTN) with good to excellent predictiveness. Conclusion: Our results comprehensively assessed the blood miRNAomes in response to various lameness phenotypes, promoting the understanding of miRNA-regulated mechanisms of lameness in feedlot cattle. The diagnostic miRNA markers were also identified to differentiate within lameness phenotypes and predictive lameness recovery, shedding light on accurate on-farm lameness detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lameness is the second most prevalent morbidity in North American feedlot cattle and is both an animal welfare and economic concern. Lameness accounts for 30%–40% of all feedlot treatments with greater than 70% being foot-related lameness (FRL). This review focused on foot rot (FR), digital dermatitis (DD), and toe tip necrosis syndrome (TTNS). While there are significant study-to-study differences regarding the prevalence of FR, DD, and TTNS, it is unequivocal that FR is the most prevalent. Poor pen conditions are risk factors for both FR and DD, but the epidemiology of the two diseases is quite different. Whereas FR is diagnosed throughout the feeding period, DD typically occurs after 80 days on feed (DOF). TTNS is the least prevalent of the three FRL, but has the greatest negative effect on animal welfare and production performance. Most TTNS cases occur within 50 DOF with treatment failure leading to a significant loss in production performance and even death. This review provides an overview of the epidemiology of lameness in feedlot cattle with emphasis on the prevalence and risk factors associated with FR, DD, and TTNS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Observing lameness in dairy cows is the primary animal-based indicator of their overall welfare and health status. The study evaluated dairy farmworkers’ understanding of bovine lameness’s causes, risk factors, and clinical symptoms in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, South Africa. Materials and Methods: Eleven dairy farms provided the data through questionnaires. The questionnaire consisted of five sections: The first section (A) gathered demographic data (age, gender, experience, level of study), and the second section (B) dealt with farm specifics (size, grazing method). Sections C, D, and E cover farm workers’ knowledge of lameness risk factors, clinical signs of lameness, and treatment and management of lameness, respectively. Results: About 85.5% of horses experience lameness during summer, contrasted to 15% during autumn. The seasonal results were statistically significant (p < 0.05). 93% of respondents identified a decrease in appetite as the most common sign of lameness, while 94% reported reduced milk yield and 90% increased lying time; a significant correlation was found between awareness of clinical signs and localities (p < 0.05). Age, gender, and occupation level (p < 0.05) were identified as contributing factors to the movement problem in the dairy industry, necessitating training for farm workers to enhance their knowledge. Conclusion: Although there is a satisfactory (81%) understanding of lameness by farm workers. There is still need for improvement, hence, farm worker training and retraining are essential for managing and reducing the instances of bovine lameness.

Background and Aim: Observing lameness in dairy cows is the primary animal-based indicator of their overall welfare and health status. The study evaluated dairy farmworkers' understanding of bovine lameness's causes, risk factors, and clinical symptoms in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, South Africa. Materials and Methods: Eleven dairy farms provided the data through questionnaires. The questionnaire consisted of five sections: The first section (A) gathered demographic data (age, gender, experience, level of study), and the second section (B) dealt with farm specifics (size, grazing method). Sections C, D, and E cover farm workers' knowledge of lameness risk factors, clinical signs of lameness, and treatment and management of lameness, respectively. Results: About 85.5% of horses experience lameness during summer, contrasted to 15% during autumn. The seasonal results were statistically significant (p < 0.05). 93% of respondents identified a decrease in appetite as the most common sign of lameness, while 94% reported reduced milk yield and 90% increased lying time; a significant correlation was found between awareness of clinical signs and localities (p < 0.05). Age, gender, and occupation level (p < 0.05) were identified as contributing factors to the movement problem in the dairy industry, necessitating training for farm workers to enhance their knowledge. Conclusion: Although there is a satisfactory (81%) understanding of lameness by farm workers. There is still need for improvement, hence, farm worker training and retraining are essential for managing and reducing the instances of bovine lameness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium foot and root rot is one of the most important soilborne diseases of cereals, specifically on durum wheat which is the main cultivated species in the Mediterranean regions. This work aimed to evaluate the response of durum wheat and bread wheat to this disease under different climatic conditions. The disease parameters, grain yield loss as well as thousand kernel weight (TKW), heading date and height of plant were evaluated on 29 durum and bread wheat genotypes during two years. Overall, durum wheat grain yield was strongly and negatively correlated with disease parameters, heading date, and positively with plant height and TKW compared to bread wheat. In the drier year, the 24 durum wheat genotypes were more susceptible to the disease than the five bread wheat varieties while some of them showed less disease during the wetter year. Bread wheat maintained the same behavior in both years vs. durum wheat. Grain yield loss was higher on durum wheat compared to bread wheat. It was the same in both years (56 and 51%) for durum wheat and was significantly (p < 0.01) lower in the drier (24%) compared to the wetter year (44%) for bread wheat. This work confirmed the susceptibility of Tunisian durum wheat to the disease compared to bread wheat and calls attention to the potential vulnerability of this important Mediterranean food crop under a hotter, drier climate. More research is needed to investigate adaptation to drought and plant defense mechanisms and to breed for resistance to this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted from February 2021 to May 2021 to assess the incidence and severity of major diseases of Mandarin and the management practices adopted by mandarin growers in Syangja, Nepal. Data were collected from a total of 90 mandarin-growing farmers and 25 orchards, comprising 10 from Putalibazar, 8 from Bhirkot, and 7 from Waling municipalities. Descriptive statistics such as percentage, mean, standard deviation, and range, as well as inferential statistics like the chi-square test and independent sample t-test, were employed alongside analytical tools like binary logistic regression to analyze the data. The findings revealed the highest incidences of citrus greening (27%) and foot rot (36%) in Putalibazar Municipality and sooty mold (63.75%) in Bhirkot Municipality, whereas the most pronounced severity of citrus greening and sooty mold was observed in Waling Municipality. Training, pruning, and the use of Bordeaux mixture were the major practices adopted by farmers for the management of citrus greening and sooty mold, respectively, whereas for the management of foot rot, both Bordeaux mixture and cow’s urine were used. A significant mean difference was found in average production per plant, nursery height, and marketed yield between trained and non-trained farmers. Factors such as mandarin cultivated area, farming experience, and access to technical assistance were found to influence management practices, including the application of Bordeaux mixture, the use of Jhol-mol, neem-based pesticides, and insect traps. Besides, the findings also indicate the need for targeted training programs and technical support for growers, emphasizing disease-specific management strategies.

Over the last several years, foot rot caused by Diaporthe destruens has become the most destructive sweetpotato disease in the southernmost region of Japan. Breeding of cultivars resistant to foot rot is required for effective and low-cost management. Field tests are often used to evaluate resistance of cultivars, but this approach has several limitations, including a long test period of several months and the requirement of field isolation and labor-intensive procedures. To minimize these issues, we have developed an easier and faster laboratory method using stem cuttings for the resistance test by optimizing four parameters: the number of unfolded leaves per cuttings, the positions of stems from which a cutting was prepared, the adequate number of culture days after inoculation, and the density of conidia of D. destruens at inoculation. Significant correlation was detected between the resistance indices of the laboratory test and the field test, namely, the length of the rotted part of a stem and the proportion of the plants rotted at the basal part of a stem, respectively. These results indicated that the laboratory test could indirectly evaluate the foot rot resistance of sweetpotato stems in the field and will be helpful to breed resistant cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of bacteria Dichelobacter nodosus (D. nodosus) and Fusobacterium necrophorum (F. necrophorum) in non-lame dairy cows on eight Slovak dairy herds. In total, 1,631 Holstein Friesian dairy cows were included in the study. Information of the cows was collected from on-farm software included cow ID, lactation number (heifer/cow), year milk yield (kg), and DIM on collection date. The PCR method detected D. nodosus and F. necrophorum on the feet of 1,394 (85.5%) and 373 (22.1%) dairy cows, respectively (p

A test of a batch of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) seed variety of the runner type in 2021 in Texas revealed seed-associated Fusarium neocosmosporiellum. The identity of the Fusarium isolate was confirmed based on its morphological characteristics, as well as the internal transcribed spacer and translation elongation factor 1-alpha sequences. The inoculum potential of the Fusarium isolate was also evaluated on plants derived from F. neocosmosporiellum-free peanut seeds using the method of Koch's postulates. The results of pathogenicity tests determined the fungus to be pathogenic on peanut plants, resulting in foot rot-induced plant wilting and decline. [Figure: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of bacteria Dichelobacter nodosus (D. nodosus) and Fusobacterium necrophorum (F. necrophorum) in non-lame dairy cows on eight Slovak dairy herds. In total, 1,631 Holstein Friesian dairy cows were included in the study. Information of the cows was collected from on-farm software included cow ID, lactation number (heifer/cow), year milk yield (kg), and DIM on collection date. The PCR method detected D. nodosus and F. necrophorum on the feet of 1,394 (85.5%) and 373 (22.1%) dairy cows, respectively (p < 0.05). No dairy farm could be found without positive samples for D. nodosus and the majority of the farms were free or had very low prevalence of F. necrophorum (0--9.1%). Statistical difference for the prevalence of D. nodosus and F. necrophorum in different Slovak regions was detected for both strains. Logistic regression revealed an association between both D. nodosus and F. necrophorum identification and annual milk production (odds ratios = 0.69 and 0.32, respectively). Our data demonstrates that D. nodosus is present on the feet of almost every dairy cow what means a potential risk for cattle to develop foot rot. Furthermore, both bacteria are associated with decreased annual milk production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important factor affecting the performance of cattle is the satisfaction of animal needs in nutrients, macro- and microelements. High-yielding dairy cows with intense metabolism are especially sensitive to errors in feeding practices, because even minor nutritional or mineral deficiencies cause metabolic disorders leading to immunodeficiency conditions, reduced resistance to infectious agents and raised sensitivity to infections with pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms. Besides some infections, for example acute respiratory diseases, also result in metabolic disorders, immunosuppression, decrease in the overall resistance of the organism and ultimately in mixed infections. All this is the reason for low efficacy of vaccination against major infectious diseases. The paper presents the results of testing of plant tissue product «Vidoral», developed by the FSBEI HE Ural SAU for prevention of immunodeficiency conditions in cattle, caused by different factors. The product was injected subcutaneously at a dose of 0.025 ml/kg of live weight to cows in late gestation and calves showing mild anemia, low red blood cells counts, leukocytosis, high lymphocyte and monocyte counts and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which suggest inflammatory processes in the animal body. Fourteen days post injection blood was collected for hematological and biochemical testing. It was demonstrated that the product restores the animal metabolism, improves hematopoiesis and reduces inflammation. It was established that injection of «Vidoral» in combination with vaccination against infectious rhinotracheitis, viral diarrhea, infection with respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza-3 virus induced generation of specific antibodies against the abovementioned infections.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of surgical conditions in sheep and analyze their distribution based on age, sex, sheep, and seasonal variation. Methods: Retrospective data on surgical conditions in sheep were compiled from Upazila Livestock Offices and Veterinary Hospitals within Mymensingh division between January 2021 and December 2021. Simple descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 788 surgical cases in sheep were documented. The predominant surgical conditions observed in sheep included wounds (29.18%), myiasis (15.10%), bloat (14.08%), subcutaneous cysts (12.56%), and foot rot (8.24%). In addition, there were instances of abscesses (6.47%), horn fractures (4.56%), atresia ani (3.93%), dermoid cysts (1.64%), dog bites (1.90%), overgrown hooves (1.52%), and gangrenous mastitis (0.63%). Surgical affections were more prevalent in adult sheep (73.35%) compared to young ones (26.64%). Among adult sheep, myiasis, bloat, subcutaneous cysts, and foot rot showed higher prevalences. In females, myiasis, subcutaneous cysts, bloat, and abscesses occurred more frequently than in male sheep. The occurrence of surgical affections was relatively higher in adult sheep during the rainy season, followed by summer, autumn, and winter during the rainy season followed by summer, autumn, and winter. Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight the variable demographic distribution of surgical affections in sheep. The observed patterns suggest that the surgical disorders pose a substantial threat to sheep rearing in the study areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foot rot symptoms were repeatedly observed on plants of deltoid synurus (Synurus deltoides) growing in a field of the Wild Vegetable Research Institute located in Pyeongchang, Korea during disease surveys in July 2020 and June 2021. The symptoms appeared as wilting of the plant leaves, and the plant stems and petioles at or above the soil line turned dark and rotted. The incidence of diseased plants in the field was 5‒10%. Five isolates of Phytophthora sp. were obtained from lesions of the diseased plants and investigated for their morphological and molecular characteristics. All the isolates were identified as Phytophthora cryptogea based on the morphological and molecular characteristics. Three isolates of P. cryptogea were tested for pathogenicity on deltoid synurus plants using artificial inoculation. All the tested isolates caused foot rot symptoms on the inoculated plants. The symptoms were similar to those observed in plants from the field investigated. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. cryptogea causing Phytophthora foot rot in deltoid synurus.

As livestock production systems have changed to intensive commercial structures to meet the increasing demand for animal-based products, there has been an increase in food production diseases, subsequently resulting in animal welfare issues. After mastitis and infertility, lameness is one of the three major issues affecting dairy cattle globally, resulting in reduced productivity, economic losses, and animal welfare problems. Lameness is associated with reduced milk yield, lack of weight gain, poor fertility, and frequently, animal culling. Environmental (temperature, humidity) and animal risk factors contribute to disease severity, making this multifaceted disease difficult to eradicate and control. As such, prevalence rates of lameness in dairy herds ranges from 17% to 35% globally. Clinical lameness is often treated with antibiotic therapy, which is undesirable in food-producing animals, as outlined in the One Health and the European Farm to Fork food sustainability goals. Lameness is not a single disease in dairy cows but is the manifestation a range of issues, making lameness control one of the greatest challenges in dairy farming. Lameness prevention, therefore, must be a key focus of farm management and sustainable food production. There is an urgent need to establish farm-level aetiology of disease, promote the recognition of lameness, and implement effective control measures to lower incidence and transmission of disease within herds.

The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate the efficacy of different antimicrobial agents against interdigital necrobacillosis (IN) in cattle to identify the treatment with the greatest benefit. A network meta-analysis was used to synthesise empirical results from randomised controlled trials. Four studies with five interventions for 565 animals were included. The meta-analysis found no significant differences between the risk ratios for the antimicrobials versus placebo. However, ceftiofur sodium administered intramuscularly at a dose of 1.0 µg/kg body weight every 24 h for 3 days showed a better clinical response than 6.6 µg of oxytetracycline, 2.5 µg of tulathromycin, the placebo and 0.1 µg of ceftiofur sodium. The results show the best efficacy for 6.6 µg of oxytetracycline and 1.0 µg of ceftiofur sodium. Nevertheless, the latter is likely to be superior to oxytetracycline in terms of its pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties. Thus, 1.0 µg of ceftiofur sodium appears to provide the best therapeutic activity against IN in cattle. Further well-designed studies are required.

Phytophthora foot rot disease remains a deadly disease of black pepper in Sarawak, a major pepper producing state in Malaysia. This study characterised three Phytophthora isolates, recovered from diseased plant tissues of foot rot infected pepper vines from two farms in Julau district, Sarawak. The three isolates were confirmed to be Phytophthora capsici based on the distinct torulose hyphae characteristic and molecular analysis. The isolates exhibited various colony and sporangia morphologies and growth rates. Two mating types were detected among the isolates based on the formation of oogonia in pairing tests between the isolates - one type associated with isolate I4 and I5 recovered from one farm and the second type with isolate E3 from the other farm. Virulence test indicated that I5 isolate was relatively more virulent than E3 isolate. This study provides important information to assist in the development of effective management strategies for the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foot rot in small ruminants is highly contagious, causes severe lameness, and impairs fertility and wool and meat production. It is usually treated with parenteral antibiotics, with attendant antibiotic resistance risk, and with bactericidal footbaths, potentially harmful to humans and the environment. An alternative treatment in sheep is proposed based on repeated topical ozonated ointment application. Its effectiveness and safety were evaluated by estimation of acute-phase response, biochemical indicators of organic damage, and antioxidant/oxidant balance (AOB).

Foot rot in sheep is a condition that can affect performance and well-being. Reactive thera- peutic injectable antibiotic treatment (RTA) can be effective at resolving foot rot but often requires serial treatment of animals. RTA does not facilitate the animal industry goals of decreased antibiotic use in food producing animals. Our object was to evaluate if vaccinating ewes against foot rot prior to the onset of a wet season would decrease the number of ewes that experience foot rot, the number of ewes treated, and the number of treatments in affected ewes compared with RTA only. At weaning, Suffolk and Texel ewes (n = 80) were blocked by breed, age, foot rot status, and body weight (BW). Ewes were randomly allocated one of two treatments: Control ewes were monitored for foot rot and administered RTA to treat foot rot symptoms, or Vaccine ewes were administered a foot rot vaccine and boosted 42 d later and subsequently monitored for foot rot symptoms. Ewes were scored for foot rot using an index of lameness, incidence, and severity scoring. An index score of 3 indicated a foot rot event and resulted in RTA of intramus- cular administration long acting oxytetracyline. Ewes not responding to the initial RTA received a macrolide antibiotic administered (Tulathromycin or Gamithromycin) at the label dose. Body weight and body condition score (BCS) were collected from ewes on d -1, 0, 51, 134, and 185. Locomotion, incidence, and severity scores were collected on the same dates. Ewe BW, BCS, and were analyzed using the Mixed procedure of SAS. Incidence of locomotion, incidence, severity, treatments, and index were analyzed using Glimmix procedure of SAS to determine odd ratio estimates. Neither ewe BW nor BCS were affected by vaccination treatment (P ≥ 0.85). Control ewes were 2.35, 1.96, 1.83, 2.23 and 2.69 times more likely (P ≤ 0.008) to have greater locomotion, incidence, severity, index scores respectively, and were 2.69 times more likely (P = 0.001) to require RTA compared with ewes that were vaccinated. Total cost for RTA were $110 greater for Control than Vaccine group because of a greater number of treatments. However, total costs and $/ewe cost were greater for the Vaccine group because of vaccine and RTA costs. The value of decreased incidence of foot rot in the Vaccine group is not captured in this analysis. The foot rot vaccine decreased the measures of foot rot and fewer RTA in vaccinated mature ewes, which supports the food animal industry goal of decreased antibiotic use. However, the price of the vaccine does create an economic disincentive unless other eco- nomic benefits can be valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A severe outbreak of foot rot and head rot disease of cabbage was observed during September 2017 to November 2019 in major cabbage growing regions of southern Karnataka state of India. The disease incidence ranged between 3% and 28%. The initial symptoms were observed as tan, water‐soaked lesions at the point of infection and development of mycelia, followed by quick wilting of the whole plant. Subsequently, numerous sclerotia were produced. The pathogen isolated on PDA medium produced white fluffy aerial mycelia and numerous reddish‐brown sclerotia after 7−10 days. A total of 18 fungal isolates were used for mycelial compatibility analysis. Isolate SrBoC28 was used to test for pathogenicity on cabbage, marigold, chilli and brinjal plants. Typical disease symptoms on leaves, stem and roots were evident 5, 8 and 10 days' post‐inoculation respectively. The isolate was pathogenic on all tested hosts, and the identity was confirmed by re‐isolation and morpho‐cultural and molecular studies. The latter were based on amplification of ITS‐rDNA and phylogenetic analysis which showed 100% sequence similarity with reference sequences. The identity was confirmed as S. rolfsii. This is a well‐known pathogen and causes disease on various economically important crop plants. To date, there are no reports on the association between S. rolfsii and foot and head rot disease of cabbage in India and elsewhere. Thus, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of foot rot and head rot of cabbage caused by S. rolfsii in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a multiplex PCR assay was developed to detect Phytophthora, Pythium and Fusarium infecting black pepper. Genus-specific primers were designed from the conserved region of ITS and a multiplex PCR was optimized by manipulating the annealing temperature and primer as well as MgCl2 concentrations. The black pepper 18S rRNA gene-specific primers were also included in the multiplex PCR assay as internal control. The assay successfully detected the pathogens from artificially inoculated black pepper roots and did not show any cross amplification with other fungal pathogens of black pepper such as Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotium rolfsii and Colletotrichum sp. Hence, the developed multiplex PCR assay will help in early diagnosis of the cause of black pepper yellowing leading to timely adoption of management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foot rot symptoms were occasionally observed on young bok choy (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) and kale (B. oleracea var. viridis) plants grown in vinyl greenhouses located in Icheon and Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Korea. These observations were made during disease surveys in April 2020. The incidence of diseased plants in the vinyl greenhouses investigated was 0.5-1.0% in bok choy and 0.5-5.0% in kale. Five isolates of Rhizoctonia sp. were obtained from diseased roots of bok choy and three isolates of Rhizoctonia sp. were taken from diseased stems of kale. All the Rhizoctonia sp. isolates were identified as Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-1 based on the morphological characteristics and anastomosis test. Three isolates each of R. solani AG-2-1 from bok choy and kale were tested for pathogenicity in their host plants by artificial inoculation. The tested isolates induced foot rot symptoms on the inoculated bok choy and kale plants. The symptoms on the bok choy and kale, induced by the artificial inoculation, were similar to those observed on plants from the vinyl greenhouses that were investigated. This is the first report of R. solani AG-2-1 causing foot rot in bok choy and kale in Korea.

As livestock production systems have changed to intensive commercial structures to meet the increasing demand for animal-based products, there has been an increase in food production diseases, subsequently resulting in animal welfare issues. After mastitis and infertility, lameness is one of the three major issues affecting dairy cattle globally, resulting in reduced productivity, economic losses, and animal welfare problems. Lameness is associated with reduced milk yield, lack of weight gain, poor fertility, and frequently, animal culling. Environmental (temperature, humidity) and animal risk factors contribute to disease severity, making this multifaceted disease difficult to eradicate and control. As such, prevalence rates of lameness in dairy herds ranges from 17% to 35% globally. Clinical lameness is often treated with antibiotic therapy, which is undesirable in food-producing animals, as outlined in the One Health and the European Farm to Fork food sustainability goals. Lameness is not a single disease in dairy cows but is the manifestation a range of issues, making lameness control one of the greatest challenges in dairy farming. Lameness prevention, therefore, must be a key focus of farm management and sustainable food production. There is an urgent need to establish farm-level aetiology of disease, promote the recognition of lameness, and implement effective control measures to lower incidence and transmission of disease within herds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three nitrate-nonutilizing (nit) mutants of a soil-borne fungus, Diaporthe destruens, pathogen of foot rot of sweet potato, were generated with a chlorate-containing medium for elucidating the fungal ecology in the environment. Their pathogenicity to the crop was determined to be approximately the same as that of the wild-type strains. Furthermore, a sweet potato infusion-based and three antibiotic chemical-containing selective medium was developed for detection of the nit mutants in soil. The nit mutants and the selective medium were assumed to be useful as powerful tools for studying the epidemiology and control measures of foot rot disease in sweet potato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potentiality of native Trichoderma harzianum against damping off and foot rot of chilli caused by Sclerotium rolfsii and Fusarium oxysporum, respectively as well as its shelf life as formulated product in different storage conditions was evaluated. In dual culture, native T. harzianum inhibited the mycelial growth of S. rolfsii by 60.56% and F. oxysporum by 81.67% over control. In green house conditions, soil received both formulated T. harzianum (20 g/kg of soil) and T. harzianum suspension (2.45 x 107 CFU/mL) resulted reduced severity of damping off by 81.80% and foot rot by 84.61% over control; however, the combined application of both the treatments was also resulted the highest seed germination (70.28%). The formulated T. harzianum (@ 50 g/polyethylene bags) was stored in table top, wooden shelve, tin container, wooden locker at room temperature, and in refrigerator at 4 °C. The spore density was constantly increased from the initial amount (22 x 106 CFU/g) in all the treatments and reached the peak after 45 days in wooden locker (73 x 106 CFU/g) and tin container (66 x 106 CFU/g) where, it reached the peak at 60 days in table top (126.3 x 106 CFU/g), wooden shelve (109 x 106 CFU/g) and refrigerator (89.67 x 106CFU/g). However, the maximum population density (126.3 x 106 CFU/g) was observed in table top storage at 60 days which also remained highest even after 120 days (51.67 x 106 CFU/g) in comparison to other treatments. The findings of the study revealed that the native T. harzianum can be exploited as an effective bio-control agent for the successful disease control program in chilli as it showed extended shelf life in common storage facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat foot rot disease is caused by Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc., a soil-inhabiting pathogen with a broad host range. In wheat, this pathogen causes blighted appearance and death. Studies on this organism have been performed mainly on morphological, physiological and pathogenic variability, but molecular diversity analysis based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of isolates collected from different wheat growing areas of Karnataka has not been attempted. ITSs are widely used for molecular detection and species identification. In this study, the DNA sequence of the region amplified by the ITS5 and ITS4 primer pair was used to detect five isolates of S. rolfsii collected from different agro-climatic zones of Karnataka. BLAST analysis of the aligned ITS5/4 sequences of the five isolates showed sequence homology with other Athelia rolfsii (teleomorph of S. rolfsii) sequences reported on other crops, while no previous sequences have been reported from wheat. Phylogenetic relationships across these isolates were analyzed and showed significant variability between the isolates by grouping them into two clades. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a molecular sequence of Sclerotiumrolfsii infecting wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ovine foot rot is a highly contagious and multifactorial claw disease, caused by Dichelobacter nodosus (D. nodosus) and is the main cause of lameness in sheep. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of D. nodosus in western Austria both at animal and farm levels. Real-time PCR was evaluated in comparison with clinical and bacteriological investigations from interdigital foot swabs to detect D. nodosus-infected animals. In addition, the use of pooled four-foot swabs to detect foot rot was determined. In course of the study a total of 3156 sheep from 124 farms were examined for lameness and clinical signs of foot rot. The found flock prevalence of D. nodosus was 30,65 % with bacterial culture showing a sensitivity of 75,0 % and a specificity of 100,0 % (p < 0,001) respectively, compared with PCR. Furthermore, clinical foot rot scores (Ckorr = 0,87; p < 0,001) and lameness scores (Ckorr = 0,71; p < 0,001) highly correlated with the detection of D. nodosus by PCR. The result showed that the clinical examination can be used to identify animals infected with D. nodosus in flocks, but PCR must be used to confirm the diagnosis. D. nodosus could be detected equally well with risk-based pools-of-five samples as with undiluted samples (p < 0,001), suggesting that a pool-of-five samples might be a suitable and cost-effective method for detecting D. nodosus in sheep flocks. This study provides an overview of foot rot in Tyrolean sheep flocks and outlines the possibilities and limitations of the various diagnostic tools for D. nodosus. Further studies to investigate possible influencing factors, including alpine pasturing, management factors and biosecurity predisposing to foot rot are necessary for the design of effective future control programs in alpine regions.

Over the last several years, foot rot caused by Diaporthe destruens has become the most destructive sweetpotato disease in the southernmost region of Japan. Breeding of cultivars resistant to foot rot is required for effective and low-cost management. Field tests are often used to evaluate resistance of cultivars, but this approach has several limitations, including a long test period of several months and the requirement of field isolation and labor-intensive procedures. To minimize these issues, we have developed an easier and faster laboratory method using stem cuttings for the resistance test by optimizing four parameters: the number of unfolded leaves per cuttings, the positions of stems from which a cutting was prepared, the adequate number of culture days after inoculation, and the density of conidia of D. destruens at inoculation. Significant correlation was detected between the resistance indices of the laboratory test and the field test, namely, the length of the rotted part of a stem and the proportion of the plants rotted at the basal part of a stem, respectively. These results indicated that the laboratory test could indirectly evaluate the foot rot resistance of sweetpotato stems in the field and will be helpful to breed resistant cultivars., (Copyright © 2024 by JAPANESE SOCIETY OF BREEDING.)

Soil-borne pathogens cause severe root rot of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and are a major constraint to pea cultivation worldwide. Resistance against individual pathogen species is often ineffective in the field where multiple pathogens form a pea root rot complex (PRRC) and conjointly infect pea plants. On the other hand, various beneficial plant-microbe interactions are known that offer opportunities to strengthen plant health. To account for the whole rhizosphere microbiome in the assessment of root rot resistance in pea, an infested soil-based resistance screening assay was established. The infested soil originated from a field that showed severe pea root rot in the past. Initially, amplicon sequencing was employed to characterize the fungal microbiome of diseased pea roots grown in the infested soil. The amplicon sequencing evidenced a diverse fungal community in the roots including pea pathogens Fusarium oxysporum, F. solani, Didymella sp., and Rhizoctonia solani and antagonists such as Clonostachys rosea and several mycorrhizal species. The screening system allowed for a reproducible assessment of disease parameters among 261 pea cultivars, breeding lines, and landraces grown for 21 days under controlled conditions. A sterile soil control treatment was used to calculate relative shoot and root biomass in order to compare growth performance of pea lines with highly different growth morphologies. Broad sense heritability was calculated from linear mixed model estimated variance components for all traits. Emergence on the infested soil showed high (H2 = 0.89), root rot index (H2 = 0.43), and relative shoot dry weight (H2 = 0.51) medium heritability. The resistance screening allowed for a reproducible distinction between PRRC susceptible and resistant pea lines. The combined assessment of root rot index and relative shoot dry weight allowed to identify resistant (low root rot index) and tolerant pea lines (low relative shoot dry weight at moderate to high root rot index). We conclude that relative shoot dry weight is a valuable trait to select disease tolerant pea lines. Subsequently, the resistance ranking was verified in an on-farm experiment with a subset of pea lines. We found a significant correlation (rs = 0.73, p = 0.03) between the controlled conditions and the resistance ranking in a field with high PRRC infestation. The screening system allows to predict PRRC resistance for a given field site and offers a tool for selection at the seedling stage in breeding nurseries. Using the complexity of the infested field soil, the screening system provides opportunities to study plant resistance in the light of diverse plant-microbe interactions occurring in the rhizosphere.

Abstract Background Severe outbreaks of bovine interdigital phlegmon (IP) have occurred recently in several free stall dairy herds in Finland. We studied the aetiology of IP in such herds, and the association of bacterial species with the various stages of IP and herds of various morbidity of IP. Nineteen free stall dairy herds with IP outbreaks and three control herds were visited and bacteriological samples collected from cows suffering from IP (n = 106), other hoof diseases (n = 58), and control cows (n = 64). The herds were divided into high morbidity (morbidity ≥50%) and moderate morbidity groups (9–33%) based on morbidity during the first two months of the outbreak. Results F. necrophorum subspecies necrophorum was clearly associated with IP in general, and T. pyogenes was associated with the healing stage of IP. Six other major hoof pathogens were detected; Dichelobacter nodosus, Porphyromonas levii, Prevotella melaninogenica, Treponema spp. and Trueperella pyogenes. Most of the samples of acute IP (66.7%) harboured both F. necrophorum and D. nodosus. We found differences between moderate morbidity and high morbidity herds. D. nodosus was more common in IP lesion in high than in moderate morbidity herds. Conclusions Our result confirms that F. necrophorum subspecies necrophorum is the main pathogen in IP, but also T. pyogenes is associated with the healing stage of IP. Our results suggest that D. nodosus may play a role in the severity of the outbreak of IP, but further research is needed to establish other bacteriological factors behind these severe outbreaks.

Phytopthora parasitica var. nicotianae is a major fungal pathogen that causes foot rot, root rot, crown rot, gummosis, leaf fall and brown rot diseases in Nagpur mandarin in the entire Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. For the efficient management of root rot and gummosis due to Phytophthora, potassium salt of phosphonic acid (PSPA) was evaluated under field and laboratory conditions. In field trials, infected plants were treated with different concentration of PSPA by foliar spray and soil drenching. The results revealed that foliar spray + soil drenching of PSPA at 3 ml/liter water was better with respect to the average reduction in no. of lesion with oozing (28.39%), minimum in feeder root index (2.17), increase in canopy volume (11.15%) and higher fruit yield (65.89 kg/per tree). Effect of PSPA was assayed at three difefernt concentarions against P. nicotianae under in vitro. PSPA was found most effective in arresting growth of P. nicotianae as complete (100%) inhibition obsereved in tested doses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil-borne pathogens cause severe root rot of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and are a major constraint to pea cultivation worldwide. Resistance against individual pathogen species is often ineffective in the field where multiple pathogens form a pea root rot complex (PRRC) and conjointly infect pea plants. On the other hand, various beneficial plant-microbe interactions are known that offer opportunities to strengthen plant health. To account for the whole rhizosphere microbiome in the assessment of root rot resistance in pea, an infested soil-based resistance screening assay was established. The infested soil originated from a field that showed severe pea root rot in the past. Initially, amplicon sequencing was employed to characterize the fungal microbiome of diseased pea roots grown in the infested soil. The amplicon sequencing evidenced a diverse fungal community in the roots including pea pathogens Fusarium oxysporum, F. solani , Didymella sp., and Rhizoctonia solani and antagonists such as Clonostachys rosea and several mycorrhizal species. The screening system allowed for a reproducible assessment of disease parameters among 261 pea cultivars, breeding lines, and landraces grown for 21 days under controlled conditions. A sterile soil control treatment was used to calculate relative shoot and root biomass in order to compare growth performance of pea lines with highly different growth morphologies. Broad sense heritability was calculated from linear mixed model estimated variance components for all traits. Emergence on the infested soil showed high (H 2 = 0.89), root rot index (H 2 = 0.43), and relative shoot dry weight (H 2 = 0.51) medium heritability. The resistance screening allowed for a reproducible distinction between PRRC susceptible and resistant pea lines. The combined assessment of root rot index and relative shoot dry weight allowed to identify resistant (low root rot index) and tolerant pea lines (low relative shoot dry weight at moderate to high root rot index). We conclude that relative shoot dry weight is a valuable trait to select disease tolerant pea lines. Subsequently, the resistance ranking was verified in an on-farm experiment with a subset of pea lines. We found a significant correlation (r s = 0.73, p = 0.03) between the controlled conditions and the resistance ranking in a field with high PRRC infestation. The screening system allows to predict PRRC resistance for a given field site and offers a tool for selection at the seedling stage in breeding nurseries. Using the complexity of the infested field soil, the screening system provides opportunities to study plant resistance in the light of diverse plant-microbe interactions occurring in the rhizosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foot rot duo to Fusobacterium necrophorum is an important clinical economic disease in ovine, in order to inform identification and antibiotics selection, Conventional culture-based method and Polymerase chain reaction assays had been proposed to provide a good inter-rater reliability between these techniques, this study was aimed to differentiate the accuracy of conventional culture-based method and PCR technique for identification of Fusobacterium necrophorum in an ovine foot rot. Method: The current study was conducted on three farms of Kerbala governorate (AL-husseinyia, Al-Hurr and Ain Al-tmor cities) during the period from October 2017 to April 2018, pathological swab samples of the interdigital region of affected (n= 40) sheep and (n=40) goat were enrolled in this study, after the collection of swabs, the samples were divided into two partitions, each swab of the first partition was immediately collected into lighten tube containing 5 mL of thioglycollate broth enriched with 0.5% ground sheep and was transmitted to the laboratory for conventional culture-based method and the another partition of swabs was sealed with other cooled tubes containing 5 mL of thioglycollate broth enriched with 0.5% ground sheep for the laboratory of molecular investigations. Results: Fusobacterium necrophorum was identified in the pathological samples by the two following depended assays: and (46) swabs were positive by conventional culture-based method and (44) swabs were positive with PCR assay, Cohen’s kappa coefficient revealed P value for conventional culture-based methods vs. PCR assay of 0.056 and the current study was demonstrated a highly identification rates of Fusobacterium necrophorum in conventional culture-based methods rather than PCR assay. Conclusions: Current study documented conventional culture-based method and PCR assays were facilitate the identification of Fusobacterium necrophorum in case of presumed ovine foot rot, it also concluded that molecular assays should be depended in confirmatory detection of F. necrophorum in affected animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Severe outbreaks of interdigital phlegmon (IP) associated with a high morbidity and major economic losses have occurred in Finland in the past decade. A survey was performed to indicate the current occurrence of infectious hoof diseases and to identify herd level risk factors predisposing to an outbreak of IP. Results Responses to a questionnaire revealed that an outbreak of IP defined as morbidity ≥5% within the 1st month of the outbreak, had occurred in 18.0% of the respondent study farms. Risk factors for an outbreak included animal transport between herds, i.e. either animal purchase or contract heifer rearing, enlargement or renovation of the barn, and if the fields of the farm had been organically cultivated. Having any kind of mechanical ventilation in comparison to natural ventilation seemed to lower the risk of IP. Additionally, the farms that had experienced an outbreak of IP often had other infectious hoof diseases. However, it was unclear which disease appeared first. Conclusions More attention is needed before and during enlargement or renovation of the barn and substantial planning is crucial for every part of the enlargement process in dairy farms.

Objective: Foot rot is one of the most important causes of lameness and economic losses in sheep and goats world-wide. This case report described the clinical management of lameness due to foot rot in two female Boer goats aging 4-year both from two different farms in Selangor, Malaysia. Materials and methods: The goats were presented with the complaint of non-weight bearing lameness of the right forelimbs. The hoof was broken and the interdigital space was filled with dirt and exuding a foul smelling odor. Results: On clinical examination, the goats were looking as dull and isolated with body condition scores of 2.5/5 (case 1) and 3/5 (case 2), respectively. The goats had a rectal temperature of 38.8°C and 40.4°C, pulse rate of 80 and 100 beats per minutes, and respiratory rate of 44 and 24 cycles per minute, respectively. Blood sample was collected for complete blood count and serum biochemistry from case 1 only. The hoof was thoroughly washed and disinfected. Parenteral administrations of Flunixin meglumine (dosed at 2.2 mg/kg bwt, IM) thrice daily and Oxytetracycline (dosed at 20 mg/kg bwt, IM case 1) once and Sulfadiazine+trimethoprim (dosed at 1 mL/16 kg bwt, IM case 2) for 3 days. Topical oxytetracycline was applied to the area for 5 days. Conclusion: The prognosis was very good as there was a significant improvement in the hoof injury of both animals. The goats were recovered after 7 days of treatment. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2017; 4(1.000): 110-116]

Lameness in cattle is a health and welfare concern; however, limited information is available on risk factors and the relationship between lameness and common diseases like bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Therefore, the objectives of this study were to: 1) identify prevalence of lameness in feedlot cattle and related risk factors of cattle diagnosed as lame; and 2) determine associations between BRD occurrence and lameness. Feedlot cattle health records were available from 28 feedlots for 10 yr. The data set consisted of 663,838 cattle records, with 13.9% (92,156) diagnosed with a disease, including 32.3%, 46.0%, and 22.0% with lameness, BRD, and other diagnoses, respectively. Lameness was classified into four categories: foot rot (FR), joint infections (JI), lame with no visible swelling (LNVS), and injuries (INJ), with a prevalence of 74.5%, 16.1%, 6.1%, and 3.1%, respectively. Lameness was compared across cattle types (arrival date and weight) as well as age classification (calf vs. yearling), gender (steer vs. heifer), and season of placement in the feedlot (spring, summer, fall, and winter). Within the disease-diagnosed population, lameness represented 28.5% of treated fallplaced calves, 38.5% of winter-placed calves, and 40.8% of treated yearlings. Foot rot was the most common diagnosis with 74.5% of all lameness diagnoses, with winter- and fall-placed calves more likely to be diagnosed with FR compared to yearlings (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.10-1.30 and OR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.38-1.55, respectively). Joint infections were the second most common diagnosis (16.1%). Compared to yearlings, fall-placed calves had a higher odds (OR: 3.64, 95% CI: 3.12-4.24) for JI. Injuries and LNVS were the least common but again fall-placed calves had higher odds of this diagnosis compared to yearlings (OR: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.70- 2.99 and OR: 9.10, 95% CI: 6.26-13.2, respectively). Gender was significantly different for JI as steers were less likely affected compared to heifers (OR: 0.687, 95% CI: 0.545-0.867), and more likely affected by LNVS (OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.57-3.84). Of all lameness-associated deaths, JI accounted for almost 50%. Finally, cattle diagnosed with BRD were subsequently more likely to be diagnosed with INJ, JI, or LNVS (P < 0.001 for all comparisons). In conclusion, animal type and gender were associated with type of lameness diagnoses, allowing feedlots to allocate resources to groups at highest risk and focus on early intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globe amaranth is an important floriculture plant grown for the cut flowers. The outbreak of southern blight disease was observed during 2019 in parts of the southern Karnataka. The disease incidence ranged from 9.54 to 21.13%. Disease symptoms include water-soaked lesions on the lower leaves, followed by quick wilting of the whole plant. The fungal pathogen was isolated on potato dextrose agar medium which produced white cottony mycelium with numerous reddish-brown sclerotia developed after 12 days of inoculation. A total of 12 fungal isolates were obtained from infected samples and their identity was established based on micro-morphological studies. Further, three isolates were used for molecular identification by sequencing the ITS-rDNA and tef-1α gene showed 100% sequence similarity with reference sequences. The associated fungal pathogen was identified as Athelia rolfsii. Further, pathogenicity tests were conducted on healthy plants in-vitro and in green house conditions. Typical foot rot disease symptoms were observed after 8 days of post-inoculation. The pathogen was re-isolated and its identity was confirmed. There are no reports of A. rolfsii on globe amaranth. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of A. rolfsii associated with southern blight disease of globe amaranth in India. [Display omitted] • A characteristic foot rot disease associated with Gomphrena globosa from India has been investigated. • The identity of Athelia rolfsii was done based on morphological and molecular identification (ITS & TEF-1 α gene) and phylogenetic analysis. • Pathogenicity test conducted and proved the association of isolated pathogen as causal agent. • First report of A. rolfsii associated with foot rot disease of Gomphrena globosa from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]