BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH DERMATOPHILOSIS OF SHEEP AND GOATS IN SABONGARI, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Dermatophilosis is a contagious zoonotic skin disease affecting a variety of mammalian species with grave consequences on domestic ruminants. Information on contaminating bacteria in lesions of dermatophilosis is scanty. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify bacterial contaminants from lesions of dematophilosis of sheep and goats in SabonGari, Kaduna State, Nigeria. A total of 122 skin scabs including 102 from goats and 20 from sheep were collected and processed by direct examination and culture for the presence Dermatophilus congolensis. Both D. congolensis positive and D. congolensis negative samples were cultured for isolation and identification of bacterial contaminant. Direct examination revealed Gram-positive filaments having longitudinal and transverse division typical of D. congolensis. Colonies on blood agar were small, grayish=white and pitted into
the medium..sixty-one (59.8%) goats and 12 (60.0%) sheep were positive for dermatophilosis. Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Micrococcus sp, B. subtilis and E. coli were recovered from D, congolensis positive and D. congolensis negative sheep and goats. However, S. aureus was isolated more frequently from D. congolensis positive sheep (66.7%) and goats (50.8%) than D. congolensis negative sheep (37.5%) and goats (41.5%). Further work is recommended to determine the role of S. aureus in the pathogenesis of dermatophilosis. This paper reports bacterial contaminants in Dermatophilus lesions of sheep and goats in SabonGari, Kaduna State.