Detection and Prevention of Footrot Outbreak in Sheep and Goats

Detection and Prevention of Footrot Outbreak in Sheep and Goats

Summary

Footrot is an extremely contagious disease and there is no effective vaccine available for small ruminants. This program has integrated preventive education, demonstration, and training in an effort to reduce footrot outbreaks among domestic ruminants and wild species. Achieved milestones for the project duration have enhanced small ruminant producers’ skills and knowledge significantly for on-farm detection, prevention, and diagnosis of footrot disease outbreaks.

Objectives/Performance Targets

The main objective is to organize farmers’ and producers’ training workshops for topics of small ruminant animal welfare, foot and hoof care, and demonstrate footrot prevention, treatment, and on-farm biosecurity protocol.

Accomplishments/Milestones

The accomplished milestones have enhanced producers’ skills and knowledge of the applicable new techniques for on-farm detection, diagnosis, and prevention of footrot outbreaks.

• Footrot prevention, control and management practice. Mr. Jay Wilkins and Dr. Tumen Wuliji conducted hoof trimming, foot bathing, footrot management field demonstration at Crowder College farm (Neosho, Missouri). The mixed flock of sheep and goats (n=120) was recorded for hoof trimming and footbathing observations. The animals were hoof trimmed prior to a weekly footbathing for three weeks during the spring and fall season respectively. Footbath solution was made using Zinc Sulfate (36% purity) at 10% (w/v) in tap water. Ten participant farmers and twenty eight agricultural students (as a class) have regularly participated in either hoof trimming and/or footbathing practices. There was no footrot outbreaks observed in this flock throughout the seasons.
• Conducted on-farm visitation, field inspection, and footrot diagnostic training. Project directors visited more than twenty producers’ farms and provided training for diagnostic inspection, remotely test samplings, and footrot outbreak monitoring via internet and online communications. Lameness is the typical sign of footrot infection in sheep and goats. For preliminary diagnosis, owners should observe and inspect their animals if they were moving behind the rest of flock, if they were limping, carrying or lifting sore foot, and if they were kneeing and crawling for grazing.
• Conducted footrot lesion swabs sampling, culturing, and the pathogen identification. Dr. Tumen Wuliji and Dr. Hasibagan inspected and monitored Busby Farm (Lincoln University) sheep flock (n=110) during footrot outbreak seasons. At each occasion, five to ten footrot infection suspected animals were swabbed for foot/hoof lesions or interdigital necrosis for pathogenic culture and identification.
• Seminar and field day presentation. Dr. Tumen Wuliji has presented two poster displays on the topics of ‘footrot resistant marker assisted selection in sheep’ and ‘footrot prevention in sheep and goats’ for the Lincoln University Field Day at Missouri State Capitol (2016). He also has given an invited seminar presentation on ‘the infectious footrot disease in small ruminants’ at the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases (IIAD), Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.

Report Insert – SARE NCR 2016-1

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

The outcome of the project will directly benefit producers and trainees through their collaboration and hands-on experience in field detection, diagnostics, prevention, and management protocol for their farms.

Collaborators: