Identification of novel bacterial populations associated with bovine foot lesions using 16S rRNA sequencing

Inflammatory foot lesions in cattle result in significant economic losses for the global cattle industry. However, the etiology of foot lesions in dairy herds in China remains poorly understood. In this study, we utilized 16S rRNA sequencing to identify bacterial species potentially associated with severe foot lesions in thirty-one cows from two dairy farms in China, sampled between 2023 and 2024. A total of twenty-one bacterial strains were identified as potentially linked to these lesions. Among these, six species are known to be zoonotic, while the pathogenic potential to humans or cattle has not been reported for five species. Additionally, the capacity to stimulate foot lesions in cattle has not been documented for eight bacterial strains. Notably, 45.16% (14/31) of individual samples contained two or more predominant bacterial species. Fusobacterium necrophorum and Porphyromonas levii were the most predominant strains across both farms. Our findings provide further insights into the potential pathogens associated with infectious cattle foot disease.