Two tiny mutations in the genome of cattle likely cause some animals to be significantly more susceptible to Digital Dermatitis, an extremely painful disease that is widespread in cattle kept indoors. The two candidate genes were discovered by an international team of researchers from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), the University of Göttingen and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US. The scientists analysed data from more than 5,000 dairy cows. The findings could help improve the breeding of disease-resistant animals. The results of the study were published in the journal „Frontiers in Genetics“.