Animal model protocol, diagnostic, therapeutic and vaccine against digital dermatitis

A method for determining the effectiveness of a treatment for digital dermatitis comprising:

• inducing digital dermatitis in an animal subject by:
• abrading a foot of an animal subject;
• wrapping said foot, inoculating the abraded foot with a composition comprising a culture of macerated digital dermatitis tissue, and thereafter removing the wraps, wherein said treatment results in formation of digital dermatitis lesions in the interdigital space,
• treating sand animal with a proposed treatment of digital dermatitis, and
• evaluating the animal for amelioration of any symptoms or conditions associated with the disease.

A method of preparing a composition comprising at least one immunogenic protein from macerated tissue, said method comprising:

• a) cultivating a strain from macerated digital dermatitis tissue anaerobically;
• b) recovering the supernatant from the culture;
• c) isolating the immunogenic protein from the supernatant;
• and
• d) adding a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.