Biochemical traits and antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus suis isolated from slaughtered pigs

Anatomical Site, Typing, Virulence Gene Profiling, Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Resistance Genes of Streptococcus suis Isolates Recovered from Pigs in Spain

A set of 207 Streptococcus suis isolates were collected from ten autonomous communities from Spain in 2019 to 2020 from pigs with meningitis, pneumonic lungs, arthritic joints or other swollen viscera, to a lesser extent. Thirteen capsular types were detected being the most prevalent serotype 2 (21.7%), followed by serotypes 1 (21.3%), 9 (19.3%) and 3 (6.3%). Serotypes 2 and 9 were recovered mainly from the central nervous system (CNS), while serotype 1 was isolated mostly from swollen joints and serotype 3 from the lungs. Twenty-five isolates (12.1%) could not be typed. The most prevalent pathotype was epf + mrp + sly + luxS (49 isolates, 23.8%), and it was related mainly to serotypes 1 and 2. Serotypes 1–3 and 9 were significantly associated with anatomical sites of isolation and virulence factors, serotype 9 (CNS) and serotypes 3 and 9 (lungs) being associated with virulence profiles without the epf gene. S. suis isolates showed globally high antimicrobial resistances, but ampicillin followed by spectinomycin and tiamulin resulted in the highest activities, while the greatest resistances were detected for sulphadimethoxine, tetracyclines, neomycin, clindamycin and macrolides. A total of 87.4% isolates were positive to the tetO gene, 62.4% to the ermB gene and 25.2% to the fexA gene, while 14.6% were positive to all three genes simultaneously. A significative association between isolate resistances to tetracyclines and macrolides and the resistance genes tested was established, except for phenicol resistance and the fexA gene. A set of 14 multiresistance patterns were obtained according to the number of antimicrobials to which the isolates were resistant, the resistances to 12 or more agents being the most prevalent ones. A remarkable amount of multiresistance profiles could be seen among the S. suis serotype 9 isolates.

Streptococcus suis, an important pig pathogen and emerging zoonotic agent-an update on the worldwide distribution based on serotyping and sequence typing

Streptococcus suis is an important pathogen causing economic problems in the pig industry. Moreover, it is a zoonotic agent causing severe infections to people in close contact with infected pigs or pork-derived products. Although considered sporadic in the past, human S. suis infections have been reported during the last 45 years, with two large outbreaks recorded in China. In fact, the number of reported human cases has significantly increased in recent years. In this review, we present the worldwide distribution of serotypes and sequence types (STs), as determined by multilocus sequence typing, for pigs (between 2002 and 2013) and humans (between 1968 and 2013). The methods employed for S. suis identification and typing, the current epidemiological knowledge regarding serotypes and STs and the zoonotic potential of S. suis are discussed. Increased awareness of S. suis in both human and veterinary diagnostic laboratories and further establishment of typing methods will contribute to our knowledge of this pathogen, especially in regions where complete and/or recent data is lacking. More research is required to understand differences in virulence that occur among S. suis strains and if these differences can be associated with specific serotypes or STs.

Fluoroquinolone efflux in Streptococcus suis is mediated by SatAB and not by SmrA

Streptococcus suis is an emerging zoonotic pathogen. With the lack of an effective vaccine, antibiotics remain the main tool to fight infections caused by this pathogen. We have previously observed a reserpine-sensitive fluoroquinolone (FQ) efflux phenotype in this species. Here, SatAB and SmrA, two pumps belonging to the ATP binding cassette (ABC) and the major facilitator superfamily (MFS), respectively, have been analyzed in the fluoroquinolone-resistant clinical isolate BB1013. Genes encoding these pumps were overexpressed either constitutively or in the presence of ciprofloxacin in this strain. These genes could not be cloned in plasmids in Escherichia coli despite strong expression repression. Finally, site-directed insertion of smrA and satAB in the amy locus of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome using ligated PCR amplicons allowed for the functional expression and study of both pumps. Results showed that SatAB is a narrow-spectrum fluoroquinolone exporter (norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin), susceptible to reserpine, whereas SmrA was not involved in fluoroquinolone resistance. Chromosomal integration in Bacillus is a novel method for studying efflux pumps from Gram-positive bacteria, which enabled us to demonstrate the possible role of SatAB, and not SmrA, in fluoroquinolone efflux in S. suis.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of clinical strains of Streptococcus suis isolated from pigs in Spain

The antimicrobial susceptibility of 151 clinical Streptococcus suis strains isolated from diseased pigs in Spain was determined by a microdilution method. Isolates were mostly susceptible to beta-lactam antimicrobials, aminoglycosides, enrofloxacin, novobiocin and spectinomycin. More than 87% of the S. suis isolates were resistant to tetracyclines, sulphonamides, macrolides and clindamycin. Strains of serotype 9 were significantly more resistant than strains of serotype 2 (P<0.05) to tylosin (94% versus 77%) and clindamycin (94% versus 64%). Eighty-seven percent of the S. suis isolates were resistant to at least four antimicrobials and nine isolates (6%) were resistant to at least six antimicrobials. The most frequently identified multidrug pattern involved resistance against tetracyclines, sulphonamides, macrolides and lincosamides, with 69% of the isolates exhibiting this resistotype. Fifteen out of the 22 strains of serotype 2 (68.2%), and 84 out of the 98 of the strains of serotype 9 (85.7%) exhibited this resistotype, indicating its widespread distribution among the strains of the two most frequently isolated serotypes.

Distribution, genetic diversity, and variable expression of the gene encoding hyaluronate lyase within the Streptococcus suis population

Although Streptococcus suis is an economically important pathogen of pigs and an occasional cause of zoonotic infections of humans knowledge of crucial virulence factors, and as a consequence targets for therapeutic or prophylactic intervention, remains limited. Here we describe a detailed study of the distribution, diversity, and in vitro expression of hyaluronate lyase, a protein implicated as a virulence factor of many mucosal pathogens. The gene encoding hyaluronate lyase, hyl, was present in all 309 bona fide S. suis isolates examined representing diverse serotypes, geographic sources, and clinical backgrounds. Examination of the genetic diversity of hyl by RFLP and sequence analysis indicated a pattern of diversity shared by many gram-positive surface proteins with a variable 5' region encoding the most distal cell surface-exposed regions of the protein and a much more conserved 3' region encoding domains more closely associated with the bacterial cell. Variation occurs by several mechanisms, including the accumulation of point mutations and deletion and insertion events, and there is clear evidence that genetic recombination has contributed to molecular variation in this gene. Despite the ubiquitous presence of hyl, the corresponding enzyme activity was detected in fewer than 30% of the 309 isolates. In several cases this lack of activity correlates with the presence of mutations (either sequence duplications or point mutations) within hyl that result in a truncated polypeptide. There is a striking absence of hyaluronate lyase activity in a large majority of isolates from classic S. suis invasive disease, indicating that this protein is probably not a crucial virulence factor, although activity is present in significantly higher numbers of isolates associated with pneumonia.

Septic shock caused by Streptococcus suis: case report and investigation of a risk group

A case of septic shock caused by Streptococcus suis type 2 occurred in a 36-year-old truck driver who transported pigs. Here, as well as in nearly all other cases of S. suis infections reported to date, close occupational contact with pork or pigs preceded the incident. This epidemiological link may be explained by the frequent occurrence of S. suis as a commensal and opportunistic germ in pigs. In order to assess the potential risk for an infection with S. suis, 132 workers in pig slaughtering, pork dissecting and processing industries were examined in a cross sectional study for the occurrence of S. suis in their pharynx, and compared with an age and sex matched control group. The evaluation of the pharyngeal swabs showed an atypical colonisation by a variety of microorganisms in some of the employees who were so far healthy, but potentially at risk. The colonisation of the case group with S. suis amounted to 5.3%.

Sorotipagem de amostras de Streptococcus suis isoladas de suínos em granjas dos Estados de São Paulo, Minas Gerais e Paraná

Infecções causadas por Streptococcus suis são muito comuns em países onde a indústria de carne suína é desenvolvida. Estas infecções estão relacionadas a casos clínicos de broncopneumonia, meningite, artrite, pericardite, miocardite, endocardite, poliserosite fibrinosa, septicemia, rinite e aborto. Esta bactéria também foi descrita como patógeno de ruminantes e humanos. No Brasil há evidências clínicas da existência de processos infecciosos causados por S. suis afetando mais de 50% das granjas em Estados como São Paulo, Minas Gerais e Paraná. No presente estudo foram isoladas 51 amostras de S. suis de granjas do Estados acima referidos, coletadas de diferentes casos clínicos como septicemia, meningite, artrite e pneumonia, tendo sido obtidas ou em cultura pura ou como patógeno de maior predominância nos tecidos de suínos. Este material foi semeado em Columbia ágar sangue adicionado de 5% de sangue bovino e incubado a 37°C por 24 horas. Para a identificação bioquímica as colônias que apresentavam a-hemólise, bem como as amostras padrão, foram submetidas a testes convencionais para a confirmação da espécie S. suis, tais como: hidrólise de arginina, teste de Voges-Proskauer, e produção de ácido a partir de vários carboidratos (inulina, salicina, trealose, lactose, sacarose, sorbitol, manitol e glicerol). As amostras também foram testadas para habilidade de crescimento em meio de TSA com 6,5% de NaCl e para a produção de amilase. Todas as amostras que fizeram parte desta pesquisa foram testadas pelo sistema Api 20 Strep para confirmação dos resultados obtidos nos testes convencionais. Para a sorotipagem foram produzidos antissoros de 1 a 8. Outras amostras não pertencentes a estes sorotipos também foram sorotipadas. O antissoro produzido em coelhos foi titulado pelo teste de aglutinação em tubo com 2-mercaptoetanol e pelo teste de reação capsular e, quando adequados, foram usados no teste de co-aglutinação, para a sorotipagem das amostras de S. suis. A sorotipagem das 51 amostras isoladas mostraram os seguintes resultados: 30 (58,8%) foram classificadas como sorotipo 2, 11 (21,6%) das amostras como sorotipo 3, sete (13,72%) como sorotipo 7, duas (3,92%) como sorotipo 1 e uma amostra como pertencente ao sorotipo14 (1,96%). Este é o primeiro relato do isolamento de um grande número de amostras de S. suis no Brasil, de casos típicos de processos infecciosos causados por esta bactéria. Também foi realizada a sorotipagem dos isolados, mostrando uma alta prevalência do sorotipo 2, quando comparada com a dos demais sorotipos encontrados.

Distribution and genetic diversity of suilysin in Streptococcus suis isolated from different diseases of pigs and characterization of the genetic basis of suilysin absence

Streptococcus suis is an economically important pathogen of pigs responsible for a variety of diseases including meningitis, septicemia, arthritis, and pneumonia, although little is known about the mechanisms of pathogenesis or virulence factors associated with this organism. Here, we report on the distribution and genetic diversity of the putative virulence factor suilysin, a member of the thiol-activated toxin family of gram-positive bacteria. On the basis of PCR analysis of over 300 isolates of S. suis, the suilysin-encoding gene, sly, was detected in 69.4% of isolates. However, sly was present in a considerably higher proportion of isolates obtained from cases of meningitis, septicemia, and arthritis (>80%) and isolates obtained from asymptomatic tonsillar carriage (>90%) than lung isolates associated with pneumonia (44%). With the exception of serotypes 1, 14, and 1/14, there was no strong correlation between the presence of suilysin and serotype. Analysis of the genetic diversity of suilysin by restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequence analysis found that the suilysin gene, where present, is highly conserved with a maximum of 1.79% diversity at the nucleotide level seen between sly alleles. Assays of hemolytic activity and hybridization analysis provided no evidence for a second member of the thiol-activated toxin family in S. suis. Inverse PCR was used to characterize regions flanking sly, which in turn allowed the first characterization of the equivalent region in a strain lacking sly. Sequence comparison of these regions from sly-positive (P1/7) and sly-negative (DH5) strains indicated that two alternative arrangements are both flanked by genes with highest similarity to haloacid dehalogenase-like hydrolases (5' end) and putative N-acetylmannosamine-6-phosphate epimerases (3' end). However, sly appears to be completely absent from the alternative arrangement, and a gene of unknown function is located in the equivalent position. Finally, PCR analysis of multiple sly-positive and -negative strains indicated that these two alternative genetic arrangements are conserved among many S. suis isolates.

Prevalence and mechanism of resistance against macrolides and lincosamides in Streptococcus suis isolates

Eighty-seven Streptococcus suis isolates recovered in 1999-2000 from diseased pigs, all from different farms, were screened for resistance against macrolide and lincosamide antibiotics by the disk diffusion and agar dilution test and a PCR assay, amplifying the ermB gene and the mefA/E gene. Seventy-one percent of the isolates showed constitutive resistance to macrolide and lincosamide antibiotics (MLS(B)-phenotype). All these isolates were positive for the ermB gene in the PCR, but negative for the mefA/E gene. For all strains minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against five other antimicrobial agents were determined. All strains were susceptible to penicillin. Ninety-nine percent of the isolates were susceptible to enrofloxacin and tiamulin. Eighty-five percent of the strains were resistant to doxycycline. A 540bp fragment of the ermB genes of eight S. suis strains was sequenced and compared with ermB genes of five S. pneumoniae and five S. pyogenes strains of human origin. A 100% homology was found between these fragments in seven S. suis, one S. pneumoniae and three of the S. pyogenes isolates. This study demonstrates that resistance against macrolides, lincosamides and streptogramin B is widespread in S. suis and mediated by ribosome methylation, encoded by the ermB gene.

A 10-year survey of antimicrobial susceptibility of streptococcus suis isolates from swine in Japan

A number of 689 Streptococcus suis isolates collected nationwide from diseased and healthy pigs from 1987 to 1996 were surveyed for antibiotic susceptibilities to 11 drugs. No isolates resistant to amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim were found. Isolates were highly susceptible to penicillins (penicillin G, ampicillin, and amoxicillin) except cloxacillin. They were not susceptible to tetracycline, streptomycin, and kanamaycin (MIC90 50 microg/ml, > or = 100 microg/ml, and > or = 100 microg/ml, respectively). Multiple-resistant isolates (> or = 3 antimicrobial agents) were found in 20.3% of all isolates tested.

Epithelial invasion and cell lysis by virulent strains of Streptococcus suis is enhanced by the presence of suilysin

Streptococcus suis is an important pathogen of pigs causing arthritis, pneumonia and meningitis and is an occupational disease of farmers and those in the meat industry. As with other streptococci, both virulent and avirulent strains of S. suis are frequently carried asymptomatically in the tonsillar crypts and nasal cavities. Little is known about the process by which virulent strains cross the mucosal epithelia to generate systemic disease and whether this process requires expression of specific bacterial virulence factors. Although putative virulence factors have been postulated, no specific role in the disease process has yet been demonstrated for these factors. This study is the first demonstration that virulent strains of S. suis both invade and lyse HEp-2 cells, a continuous laryngeal epithelial cell line, and that at least one bacterial virulence factor, suilysin, is involved in this process.

Trends in the resistance to antimicrobial agents of Streptococcus suis isolates from Denmark and Sweden

This study was conducted to determine the MIC values of historical and contemporary Streptoccocus suis (serotypes 2 and 7) from Denmark and S. suis (serotype 2) from Sweden. A total of 52 isolates originating from 1967 through 1981 and 156 isolates from 1992 through 1997 in Denmark and 13 isolates from Sweden were examined for their MICs against 20 different antimicrobial agents. Most antimicrobials were active against most isolates. A frequent occurrence of resistance to sulphamethoxazole was observed, with most resistance among historic isolates of serotype 7 and least resistance among isolates from Sweden. A large number of the isolates was resistant to macrolides. However, all historic serotype 2 isolates from Denmark were susceptible, whereas 20.4% of the contemporary isolates were resistant. Among serotype 7 isolates 23.3% of the historic isolates were resistant to macrolides, whereas resistance was found in 44.8% of the contemporary isolates. All isolates from Sweden were susceptible to macrolides. Time-associated frequency of resistance to tetracycline was also found. Only a single historic isolate of serotype 2 was resistant to tetracycline, whereas 43.9% of the contemporary serotype 2 isolates and 15.5% of the contemporary serotype 7 isolates were resistant. Only one (7.7%) of the isolates from Sweden was resistant. The differences in resistance between historic and contemporary isolates from Denmark were statistically significant. This study demonstrated a significant serotype-associated difference in the susceptibility to macrolides and tetracycline and demonstrated that an increase in resistance among S. suis isolates has taken place during the last 15 years to the two most commonly used antimicrobial agents (tylosin and tetracycline) in pig production in Denmark.

Serological characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus suis isolates from diagnostic samples in Denmark during 1995 and 1996

At the Danish Veterinary Laboratory Streptococcus suis infections in pigs were diagnosed in 114 cases in 1995 and in 151 cases in 1996. Isolates were serotyped using specific antisera against type 1 through 28 and a total of 67 cases from 1995 and 113 cases in 1996 were tested for resistance to 11 antimicrobial agents. The majority of cases were lung diseases (57%), followed by septicaemia (16%), meningitis (15%) and endocarditis (8%). Almost 96% of the isolates could be typed using the 28 antisera. The most common serotype was serotype 2 (29%), followed by serotype 7 (17%), and serotypes 3, 4 and 8 (9-10%). The remaining serotypes were observed in frequencies of less than 5%. Serotype 7 was more commonly isolated from septicaemia than the other serotypes. Serotype 2 was more commonly isolated from pigs older than 4 weeks compared to the other serotypes. Most isolates were susceptible to amoxycillin + clavulanate, ampicillin, ceftiofur, enrofloxacin, penicillin, spectinomycin, tiamulin and trimethoprim + sulphadiazine. A high frequency (> 30%) of resistance to tetracycline was observed. Among isolates of serotype 2, 9.7% were resistant to lincomycin and 12.9% to spiramycin. Among other serotypes 56.8% were resistant to lincomycin and spiramycin. The differences in susceptibility between isolates of serotype 2 and the other serotypes were statistically significant. Compared to a previous Danish study the distribution of serotypes of S. suis causing infections among pigs in Denmark has changed during the last 15 years.

Streptococcus pneumoniae types 19A and 19F and Streptococcus suis capsular type 8 share common capsular epitopes

Two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to Streptococcus pneumoniae types 19A and 19F were tested with the 35 reference strains and 334 field strains of Streptococcus suis by dot blotting. Both MAbs reacted with the capsular type 8 reference strain, and one reacted with 69% and one reacted with 100% of 81 S. suis capsular type 8 field strains tested. Epitopes recognized by both MAbs are capsular in origin.