{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]],"date-time":"2026-04-10T01:57:47Z","timestamp":1775786267686,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,10]],"date-time":"2023-08-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1691625600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100007588","name":"Washington State University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100007588","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Treponeme-associated hoof disease (TAHD) is a debilitating disease of free-ranging elk (<jats:italic>Cervus canadensis<\/jats:italic>) in the northwestern U.S. While treponemes are associated with lesions, the etiology and transmissibility between elk are unknown. Our objective was to determine whether the disease can be environmentally transmitted to captive elk. Four individually housed treatment elk and 2 control elk were challenged with soil mixed with inoculum prepared from free-ranging elk hooves from TAHD-positive elk or autoclaved hooves from normal elk, respectively. The inoculum for each group was applied to the interdigital space and added to pre-existing soil in each pen. Eight challenges were conducted at 1\u20134-week intervals and lesion development was assessed during a 138-day challenge period that was followed by a 170-day monitoring period to document lesion progression. All treatment elk, but no control elk, developed gross and histologic lesions consistent with TAHD. <jats:italic>Treponema<\/jats:italic> phylotypes similar to those in bovine digital dermatitis in cattle were detected using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing from lesions in all treatment elk, but no control elk, during the challenge period. Lesions progressed from ulcerations in the interdigital space to extensive ulceration and underrunning of the hoof capsule by 35 and 173 days following the initial inoculation, respectively. Lameness in treatment elk was correlated with lesion development (R = 0.702, p\u22640.001), and activity of infected elk was reduced during the challenge (p\u22640.001) and monitoring periods (p = 0.004). Body condition was significantly lower in treatment than control elk 168 days following the initial inoculation (p = 0.05) and at each individual elk\u2019s study endpoint (p = 0.006). Three of 4 treatment elk were euthanized when they reached humane endpoints, and one elk recovered. These results provide direct evidence that TAHD is a transmissible infectious disease in elk. As such, actions that reduce transmission risk can support disease management and prevention.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0289764","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,10]],"date-time":"2023-08-10T17:39:57Z","timestamp":1691689197000},"page":"e0289764","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Transmission and lesion progression of treponeme-associated hoof disease in captive elk (Cervus canadensis)"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Zachary B.","family":"Robinson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Devendra H.","family":"Shah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kyle R.","family":"Taylor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3110-3515","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Margaret A.","family":"Wild","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0289764.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"259","DOI":"10.7589\/2013-07-163","article-title":"Severe hoof disease in free-ranging Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti) in southwestern Washington, USA.","volume":"50","author":"S Han","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Wildl Dis"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0289764.ref002","first-page":"487","article-title":"Surveillance for an emergent hoof disease in elk (Cervus elaphus) in the U.S. Pacific West supplemented by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.","volume":"58","author":"MA Wild","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Wildl Dis"},{"key":"pone.0289764.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"118","DOI":"10.1177\/0300985818798108","article-title":"Treponeme-associated-hoof disease of free-ranging elk (Cervus elaphus) in southwestern Washington State, USA.","volume":"56","author":"S Han","year":"2019","journal-title":"Vet Pathol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0289764.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"88","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.02276-14","article-title":"Isolation of digital dermatitis treponemes from hoof lesions in wild North American elk (Cervus elaphus) in Washington State, USA.","volume":"53","author":"SR Clegg","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Clin Microbiol"},{"issue":"24","key":"pone.0289764.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"620","DOI":"10.1136\/vr.140.24.620","article-title":"Histological and bacteriological evaluation of digital dermatitis in cattle, with special reference to spirochaetes and Campylobacter faecalis","volume":"140","author":"D D\u00f6pfer","year":"1997","journal-title":"Vet Rec"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0289764.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1199","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.01934-08","article-title":"Identification of spirochetes associated with contagious ovine digital dermatitis","volume":"47","author":"G Sayers","year":"2009","journal-title":"J Clin Microbiol"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0289764.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"689","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.01914-08","article-title":"Association of unique, isolated treponemes with bovine digital dermatitis lesions","volume":"47","author":"NJ Evans","year":"2009","journal-title":"J Clin Microbiol"},{"issue":"3\u20134","key":"pone.0289764.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"199","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vetmic.2005.10.016","article-title":"The occurrence of treponemes in contagious ovine digital dermatitis and the characterisation of associated Dichelobacter nodosus","volume":"111","author":"L Moore","year":"2005","journal-title":"Vet Microbiol"},{"key":"pone.0289764.ref009","first-page":"58","volume":"32","author":"R. 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