Sequential emergence and quantitative dynamics of key bacterial species preceding digital dermatitis lesion onset in dairy cattle.

Digital dermatitis (DD) is a skin infection of cattle's feet with multiple bacteria suspected to be involved, yet its precise etiopathogenesis remains unclear. This longitudinal study explored the temporal changes of seven DD-associated bacteria in feet developing lesions or remaining healthy, while simultaneously investigating their persistence in potential reservoirs as sources of infection. Weekly swabs were collected from feet skin and saliva of 53 Holstein cows without DD lesions sequentially enrolled at calving in a commercial dairy herd.

Detection and quantification of bacterial species DNA in bovine digital dermatitis lesions in swabs and fine-needle aspiration versus biopsies.

Digital Dermatitis (DD) is a polymicrobial disease characterized by ulcerative lesions on the heel bulb of cattle and for which, despite being reported almost 50 years ago, information on the causative agent is still lacking. Tissue biopsies are regularly collected to identify bacterial presence-absence and their relative abundance in the microbiome, with sufficient evidence for the high abundance of species of spp. and other anaerobes in lesions.