Translocation across a human enteroid monolayer by zoonotic Streptococcus suis correlates with the presence of Gb3-positive cells

Thomas J Roodsant; Kees C H van der Ark; Constance Schultsz

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2024.109178

Translocation across a human enteroid monolayer by zoonotic Streptococcus suis correlates with the presence of Gb3-positive cells

iScience. 2024 Feb 12;27(3):109178. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109178. eCollection 2024 Mar 15.

Authors

Thomas J Roodsant^{1

2}, Kees C H van der Ark^{1

2}, Constance Schultsz^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Amsterdam UMC, Location University of Amsterdam, Department of Global Health, Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
² Amsterdam UMC, Location University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Abstract

Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic pathogen that can cause meningitis and septicaemia. The consumption of undercooked pig products is an important risk factor for zoonotic infections, suggesting an oral route of infection. In a human enteroid model, we show that the zoonotic CC1 genotype has a 40% higher translocation frequency than the non-zoonotic CC16 genotype. Translocation occurred without increasing the permeability or disrupting the adherens junctions and tight junctions of the epithelial monolayer. The translocation of zoonotic S. suis was correlated with the presence of Gb3-positive cells, a human glycolipid receptor found on Paneth cells and targeted by multiple enteric pathogens. The virulence factors Streptococcal adhesin Protein and suilysin, known to interact with Gb3, were not essential for translocation in our epithelial model. Thus, the ability to translocate across an enteroid monolayer correlates with S. suis core genome composition and the presence of Gb3-positive cells in the intestinal epithelium.

Keywords: Medical microbiology; Microbiology; Molecular microbiology.