Genotypic Comparison between <i>Streptococcus suis</i> Isolated from Pigs and Humans in Thailand

• Main Authors: Anusak Kerdsin, Dan Takeuchi, Aniroot Nuangmek, Yukihiro Akeda, Marcelo Gottschalk, Kazunori Oishi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-01-01
• Series: Pathogens
• Subjects: serotype; genotype; <i>streptococcus suis</i>; sequence type (st); multilocus sequence typing (mlst); pulse-field gel electrophoresis (pfge)
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/9/1/50

<i>Streptococcus suis</i> is a zoonotic pathogen of economic significance to the swine industry. The number of infected cases is increasing in humans worldwide. In this study, we determined the prevalence and diversity of <i>S. suis</i> carriage in slaughterhouse pigs in Phayao province, Thailand, where an outbreak occurred in 2007. The overall <i>S. suis</i> carriage rate was 35.2% among slaughterhouse pigs. The prevalence rates of serotypes 2 and 14 (the major serotypes infected in humans) were 6.7% and 2.6%, respectively. In both serotypes, 70.4% of isolates of serotypes 2 and 14 revealed sequence types and pulsotypes identical to human isolates in Thailand. It is suggested that pathogenic strains of <i>S. suis</i> are a risk factor for occupational exposure to pigs or the consumption of raw pork products. Food safety, hygiene, and health education should be encouraged to reduce the risk group.