Digital dermatitis (DD) is a painful, infectious, foot skin disease affecting ruminants worldwide. In addition to pain and compromised animal welfare, DD is also associated with reduced milk yield, feed intake, and reproductive performance, and estimated to cost the UK dairy industry more than £74 million per year. Bacteria of the genus Treponema are considered the main pathogen associated with DD; however, the aetiopathogenesis and transmission patterns of the disease have not yet been elucidated. Current control strategies are generic and lack a substantial evidence base, relying on the empirical use of topical antibiotics and footbathing solutions containing heavy metals, such as copper sulphate, or formalin (carcinogen).