J Vet Sci.  2018 Mar;19(2):313-317. 10.4142/jvs.2018.19.2.313.

Pathologic and molecular characterization of Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis infection in neonatal piglets

Affiliations
  • 1Animal Disease Diagnostic Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon 39660, Korea. kimhy@korea.kr
  • 2Animal Disease & Biosecurity Team, National Institute of Animal Science, Wanju 55365, Korea.

Abstract

Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) is an emerging pathogen in animals and humans. Herein, we describe two clinical swine cases of SDSE infection presenting with lameness, neurological signs, or sudden death. Pathological examination indicated suppurative arthritis, encephalitis, and multifocal abscesses in kidney and heart. The β-hemolytic colonies obtained from joint samples of each case were identified as SDSE. The two isolates had low minimum inhibitory concentrations for β-lactams, and they presented the same virulence gene profile (slo⁻/sagA⁺/pSTKP8⁺). Molecular analysis by multilocus sequence typing identified the SDSE isolates from cases 1 and 2 as sequence types 315 and 252, respectively.

Keyword

Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis; microbial sensitivity tests; multilocus sequence typing; piglet

MeSH Terms

Abscess
Animals
Arthritis, Infectious
Death, Sudden
Encephalitis
Heart
Humans
Joints
Kidney
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Multilocus Sequence Typing
Streptococcus*
Swine
Virulence

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Case 1. Gross and histopathological findings. (A) Piglet. Note the enlarged tarsal joint (arrow). (B) Thoracic cavity. Yellowish materials (asterisks) were attached to the epicardium. (C) Cerebrum. Suppurative encephalitis with multifocal microabscesses (circle) was observed. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain. 400×. (D) Kidney. Note the multifocal microabscesses (circle) with intralesional bacteria (arrow). H&E stain. 400×. (E) Heart. Note the multifocal microabscesses with intralesional bacteria (arrow). H&E stain. 400×. (F) Heart. Gram-positive cocci were observed in the myocardium. Gram stain. 1,000×. Scale bars = 20 µm (C–F).

  • Fig. 2 Case 2. Farm floor and gross findings. (A) Concrete residue on the pen floor. (B) Note the blood-stained concrete. (C) Hip joint of piglet. Note the yellowish fragile materials and redness of synovial cavity with periarticular thickening (arrows).

  • Fig. 3 A goeBURST diagram for MLST data of Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis isolates. Each circle in the diagram represents a sequence type (ST), with the size of the circle and its colored segments proportional to the number and origin of isolates, respectively. Numbers on branches represent the number of loci different from that of the founder ST. Isolates from case 1 (ST315) and case 2 (ST252) in this study are indicated by dashed arrow and arrow, respectively.


Reference

1. Caballero AR, Lottenberg R, Johnston KH. Cloning, expression, sequence analysis, and characterization of streptokinases secreted by porcine and equine isolates of Streptococcus equisimilis. Infect Immun. 1999; 67:6478–6486.
Article
2. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Disk and Dilution Susceptibility Tests for Bacteria Isolated from Animals. Approved Standard-Fourth Edition. Wayne: CLSI;2013. CLSI document VET01-A4.
3. Gottschalk M. Streptococcosis. In : Straw BE, Zimmerman JJ, D'Allaire S, Taylor DJ, editors. Diseases of Swine. 10th ed. Ames: Blackwell Publishing Professional;2012. p. 841–855.
4. Ikebe T, Murayama S, Saitoh K, Yamai S, Suzuki R, Isobe J, Tanaka D, Katsukawa C, Tamaru A, Katayama A, Fujinaga Y, Hoashi K, Watanabe H. The Working Group for Streptococci in Japan. Surveillance of severe invasive group-G streptococcal infections and molecular typing of the isolates in Japan. Epidemiol Infect. 2004; 132:145–149.
Article
5. Kasuya K, Yoshida E, Harada R, Hasegawa M, Osaka H, Kato M, Shibahara T. Systemic Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis infection in a Yorkshire pig with severe disseminated suppurative meningoencephalomyelitis. J Vet Med Sci. 2014; 76:715–718.
Article
6. Moreno LZ, da Costa BL, Matajira CE, Gomes VT, Mesquita RE, Silva AP, Moreno AM. Molecular and antimicrobial susceptibility profiling of Streptococcus dysgalactiae isolated from swine. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2016; 86:178–180.
Article
7. Nascimento M, Sousa A, Ramirez M, Francisco AP, Carriço JA, Vaz C. PHYLOViZ 2.0: providing scalable data integration and visualization for multiple phylogenetic inference methods. Bioinformatics. 2017; 33:128–129.
Article
8. Pinho MD, Erol E, Ribeiro-Gonçalves B, Mendes CI, Carriço JA, Matos SC, Preziuso S, Luebke-Becker A, Wieler LH, Melo-Cristino J, Ramirez M. Beta-hemolytic Streptococcus dysgalactiae strains isolated from horses are a genetically distinct population within the Streptococcus dysgalactiae taxon. Sci Rep. 2016; 6:31736.
Article
9. Rantala S. Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis bacteremia: an emerging infection. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2014; 33:1303–1310.
Article
10. Savini V, Catavitello C, Talia M, Manna A, Pompetti F, Di Bonaventura G, Di Giuseppe N, Febbo F, Balbinot A, Di Zacomo S, Esattore F, D'Antonio D. Beta-lactam failure in treatment of two group G Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis pharyngitis patients. J Clin Microbiol. 2008; 46:814–816.
Article
11. Schrieber L, Towers R, Muscatello G, Speare R. Transmission of Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis between child and dog in an Aboriginal Australian community. Zoonoses Public Health. 2014; 61:145–148.
Article
12. Siemens N, Kittang BR, Chakrakodi B, Oppegaard O, Johansson L, Bruun T, Mylvaganam H. INFECT Study Group. Svensson M, Skrede S, Norrby-Teglund A. Increased cytotoxicity and streptolysin O activity in group G streptococcal strains causing invasive tissue infections. Sci Rep. 2015; 5:16945.
Article
13. Silva LG, Genteluci GL, Corrêa de Mattos M, Glatthardt T, Sá Figueiredo AM, Ferreira-Carvalho BT. Group C Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis in south-east Brazil: genetic diversity, resistance profile and the first report of human and equine isolates belonging to the same multilocus sequence typing lineage. J Med Microbiol. 2015; 64:551–558.
Article
14. Sunaoshi KS, Aburahashi H, Kobayashi R, Yamamoto Y, Okuzumi K, Yoshida A, Misawa Y, Adachi K, Ubukata K. [Emm typing by genetic identification of Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis and susceptibility to oral antibiotics]. Kansenshogaku Zasshi. 2006; 80:488–495. Japanese.
Article
15. Wajima T, Morozumi M, Hanada S, Sunaoshi K, Chiba N, Iwata S, Ubukata K. Molecular characterization of invasive Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis, Japan. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016; 22:247–254.
Article
16. Zoric M, Sjölund M, Persson M, Nilsson E, Lundeheim N, Wallgren P. Lameness in piglets. Abrasions in nursing piglets and transfer of protection towards infections with Streptococci from sow to offspring. J Vet Med B Infect Dis Vet Public Health. 2004; 51:278–284.
Article
Full Text Links
  • JVS
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr