Genotypic diversity of Streptococcus suis strains isolated from humans in Thailand

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2018 May;37(5):917-925. doi: 10.1007/s10096-018-3208-8. Epub 2018 Feb 7.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to characterize Streptococcus suis isolates recovered from human infections regarding serotype distribution, genotypic profile, clinical manifestations, and epidemiology. A total of 668 S. suis isolates recovered from human infections in Thailand were characterized based on serotyping by multiplex PCR and co-agglutination, genotypic profiles by multilocus sequence typing, and PCR for virulence-associated genes, as well as review of medical records. Serotype 2 (94.6%) was predominant, followed by serotype 14 (4.5%), 24 (0.45%), 5 (0.3%), and 4 (0.15%). Multilocus sequence typing analyses revealed seven clonal complexes (CC): CC1 (56.43%), CC104 (31.74%), CC233/379 (5.4%), CC25 (4.5%), CC28 (0.9%), CC221/234 (0.6%), CC94 (0.15%), and two singletons. The CC1 group contained serotype 2 and 14 isolates, while CC25, 28, 104, and 233/379 consisted of serotype 2 isolates only. CC221/234 contained serotype 5 and 24 isolates, whereas the single serotype 4 isolate belonged to CC94. Two singletons contained serotype 5 (ST235) and 2 (ST236) isolates. Our data showed that ST1 isolates were more associated with meningitis than those of other STs (p < 0.001). The major route of infection was shown to be close contact with infected pigs or contaminated raw pork-derived products, including occupational exposure and recent consumption of raw pork products. This study revealed a relatively large number of CCs of S. suis causing human infection in Thailand. Among them, CC1 followed by CC104, with serotype 2 isolates, are predominant. Food safety campaigns and public health interventions would be important for controlling the S. suis infection in humans.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Female
  • Genetic Variation*
  • Genotype*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multilocus Sequence Typing
  • Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Population Surveillance
  • Serogroup
  • Streptococcal Infections / diagnosis
  • Streptococcal Infections / epidemiology*
  • Streptococcal Infections / microbiology*
  • Streptococcus suis / classification*
  • Streptococcus suis / genetics*
  • Streptococcus suis / isolation & purification
  • Thailand / epidemiology
  • Virulence / genetics
  • Young Adult