Streptococcus suis meningitis in piglets. Their serotypes and zoonotic significance
1986
Pornpen Pathanasophon | Jatuporn Smitanon | Supote Methiyapun (Department of Livestock Development, Bangkok (Thailand). Voterinary Research Div.)
Thailand, at least 2 patients developed group R meningitis during the past 3 years. Group R or serotype II Streptococcus suis has been known to cause meningitis in both humans and swine. In 1986 pure cultures of Streptococcus spp. were isolated from 6 brains of piglets with neurological signs. Three isolates were Streptococcus suis, one from Bangkok and two from Arngthong. The other 3 isolates were two group C streptococci from Nakhon Pathom and one group D from Chachoengsao, respectively. Pharyngeal swabs from 48 closed contact swine and 11 animal caretakers revealed that 34 out of 37 pigs from two herds in Arngthong had group R Streptococcus suis, while swabs taken from all four animal caretakers were negative. Group R Streptococcus suis was isolated in 1 out of 7 pigs from a farm in Bangkok and the single animal caretaker suffered from mild upper respiratory tranct infection. The other 3 isolates were Streptococcus suis type II. In addition, all 4 pharyngeal swabs from the farm in Chachoengsao were Group D streptococci, the same group as that found in the brain of the sick animal, but the pharyngeal swabs of the 6 caretakers were negative. This study confirms that Streptococcus suis type II or group R is a cause of meningitis in swine. Positive culture of the same strain in both humans and swine proves that the disease can be transmitted from swine to humans and supports the findings of similar studies such as in the Netherlands, Denmark and England.
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