Investigating solutions for three major production limiting infectious diseases of dairy cattle: Mastitis, Digital Dermatitis and Johne's disease

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Infectious diseases in cattle pose threats to food safety, the livelihood of farmers, national economy, and the rural environment and communities. Reliance on treatment with antimicrobials is unlikely to be sustainable; therefore better control and prevention of infectious disease in dairy cattle is paramount. The bovine bacterial diseses, Mastitis, Digital Dermatitis and Johne's diseases have significant impacts on dairy cattle farm productivity. Through our research we will increase the understanding and improve the control of these infectious diseases and reduce the limiting effects they have on the productivity of the Canadian dairy industry. Specific projects are focused on exploring novel ways to prevent, diagnose, and eliminate these production-limiting infections from the dairy industry. The proposed research is founded on molecular microbiology, bacterial pathogenesis, disease diagnostics, pathogenomics and vaccinology. The combined program will not only generate new knowledge, but also produce several tangible end products or control strategies, including: an efficacious vaccine for Johne's disease, a probiotic against mastitis pathogens, and a pen-side diagnostic device (biosensor) to detect mastitis. We will apply a novel genetic tool to identify the niches and reservoirs of bovine Treponema spp., believed to play an important role in Digital Dermatitis lesion initiation and progression. Proposed projects will also elucidate what makes Staphylococcus chromogenes, one of the most frequently isolated organisms from subclinical mastitis, so successful as a pathogen and identify novel means to control it by elucidating bacterial targets. We will also develop and refine animal models for the above-mentioned diseases, providing a basis for innovations in prevention and control. In summary, we are proposing an original and basic research-based program to find novel ways to address important diseases plaguing the dairy industry. Projected solutions will make the dairy sector more competitive and profitable, reduce risks associated with antimicrobial resistance, improve animal welfare, and extend the social license for the dairy industry.