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

Abstract

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. • Polymicrobial infections were suggested by the presence of two or more predominant bacterial species in 45.16 % of individual samples. • The most predominant strains were Fusobacterium necrophorum and Porphyromonas levii , with infection ratios of 22.58 % and 29.03 %, respectively, across the two farms. • Six species of bacteria known to be zoonotic were identified from the foot lesions. • We identified five species of bacteria with pathogenic potential to either humans or cattle have not been previously reported. • We identified eight bacterial strains with potential to induce cattle foot lesions, which have not been previously documented.