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Drankhan_final PhD dissertation
Embargoed Access, Embargo ends: 07/16/2027
Dissertation
ESTABLISHMENT OF AN IN VIVO INFECTION MODEL AND NOVEL MICROBIOLOGICAL SAMPLING APPROACH TO ADVANCE TREPONEME-ASSOCIATED HOOF DISEASE RESEARCH
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
2026
Abstract
Treponeme-associated hoof disease (TAHD) is an infectious pododermatitis with a suspected polybacterial etiology that causes lameness and debilitation in free-ranging elk (Cervus canadensis) within an expanding region of the northwestern United States. Studying this disease in populations of free-ranging elk is challenging. Longitudinal studies of experimentally infected captive elk can help advance our understanding of TAHD’s etiology and pathogenesis by controlling pathogen exposure and permitting close observation and repeated sampling of progressive foot lesions. Given these advantages, we developed an experimental model for the rapid and consistent induction of TAHD lesions in captive elk and evaluated minimally invasive approaches for recurrent sample collection from live elk for microbiome data analysis. We established an infection model in which all captive elk feet that were inoculated with macerated tissue and mixed anaerobic cultures derived from TAHD lesions developed interdigital erosions consistent with mild to moderate TAHD lesions observed in free-ranging elk, typically within 28 days. We also determined that skin scrapings are a viable less-invasive sampling alternative to biopsy for profiling the elk foot microbiome and confirming the presence of putative bacterial pathogens through 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. This captive elk disease model and novel microbiological sampling method can be used to further investigate the pathogens and host and environmental factors that influence TAHD susceptibility, transmission, and lesion initiation and progression. Our research also provides insights and strategies to aid disease surveillance efforts in wild elk populations.
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Details
- Title
- ESTABLISHMENT OF AN IN VIVO INFECTION MODEL AND NOVEL MICROBIOLOGICAL SAMPLING APPROACH TO ADVANCE TREPONEME-ASSOCIATED HOOF DISEASE RESEARCH
- Creators
- Holly Drankhan
- Contributors
- Margaret A. Wild (Advisor)Devendra H. Shah (Committee Member)Kyle R. Taylor (Committee Member)Troy Bankhead (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- College of Veterinary Medicine
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 85
- Identifiers
- 99901393503301842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation