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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 November 2017
Ovine foot rot is a chronic, contagious, and painfully debilitating bacterial disease affecting the hooves of sheep. It is the most common cause of lameness, resulting in a loss of an estimated £24 million annually (Nieuwhof & Bishop, 2005). The main causative agents Dichelobacter nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum; two symbiotic, Gram-negative, strictly anaerobic bacteria. Treatment is usually by regular footbathing with formalin (3% v/v) or zinc sulphate (10% w/v), antibiotic injection, or by topical application of an antibiotic combined with paring of the hoof. Natural methods of treatment have the potential of circumventing the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance, in addition to being favoured by consumers due to their perceived health and environmental benefits. Some plant extracts are known to exhibit multicomponental antibacterial actions. This study investigated the efficacy and practicability as treatments for ovine foot rot of three plant extracts all of which have been shown in numerous studies, mostly carried out in vitro, to kill a range of bacteria, when applied topically.