Bacteria from the species Trueperella pyogenes are a part of the biota of skin and mucous membranes of the upper respiratory, gastrointestinal, or urogenital tracts of animals, but also, opportunistic pathogens. T. pyogenes causes a variety of purulent infections, such as metritis, mastitis, pneumonia, and abscesses, which, in livestock breeding, generate significant economic losses. Although this species has been known for a long time, many questions concerning the mechanisms of infection pathogenesis, as well as reservoirs and routes of transmission of bacteria, remain poorly understood. Pyolysin is a major known virulence factor of T. pyogenes that belongs to the family of cholesterol-dependent cytolysins. Its cytolytic activity is associated with transmembrane pore formation. Other putative virulence factors, including neuraminidases, extracellular matrix-binding proteins, fimbriae, and biofilm formation ability, contribute to the adhesion and colonization of the host tissues. However, data about the pathogen–host interactions that may be involved in the development of T. pyogenes infection are still limited. The aim of this review is to present the current knowledge about the pathogenic potential and virulence of T. pyogenes.

Clinicians often do not consider the presence of more than one viral etiologic agent in respiratory infection, and in many cases they order diagnostics for influenza viruses or recently even only for A(H1N1)2009 virus. However, in a substantial number of patients with a respiratory tract disease, co-infection with various viral pathogens has been confirmed. Although the association between the occurrence of co-infection and substantially higher severity of disease is still unclear, a rapid and proper diagnostics of wide spectrum of viral respiratory pathogens reveals an accurate picture of the disease and is essential for appropriate therapeutic management and control of infection. In the present study we reported five cases of multiple respiratory infection in hospitalized immunosuppressed patients: two double infections with influenza virus (IV) type A/respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) type A and IV type A/coronavirus (CoV) OC43, one infection with four viruses - IV type A/RSV type A and B/CoV OC43, and two cases of mixed infections caused by five viral agents - IV type A and B/RSV type A and B/ parainfluenza type 3 or CoV OC43. Each patient had an underlying chronic disease and received immunosuppressive treatment. Despite a low number of tested specimens, our study shows that the inclusions of multiplex PCR methods for diagnostics of respiratory tract infections and the extension of diagnostic strategies by clinicians to detect viruses other than influenza are very important and make a contribution to identifying the true rate of co-infections and their correlation with the clinical symptoms and severity of disease.

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The equine disease strangles, which is characterized by the formation of abscesses in the lymph nodes of the head and neck, is one of the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases of horses around the world. The causal agent, Streptococcus equi subspecies equi , establishes a persistent infection in approximately 10 % of animals that recover from the acute disease. Such ‘carrier’ animals appear healthy and are rarely identified during routine veterinary examinations pre-purchase or transit, but can transmit S. equi to naïve animals initiating new episodes of disease. Here, we report the analysis and visualization of phylogenomic and epidemiological data for 670 isolates of S. equi recovered from 19 different countries using a new core-genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) web bioresource. Genetic relationships among all 670 S. equi isolates were determined at high resolution, revealing national and international transmission events that drive this endemic disease in horse populations throughout the world. Our data argue for the recognition of the international importance of strangles by the Office International des Épizooties to highlight the health, welfare and economic cost of this disease. The Pathogenwatch cgMLST web bioresource described herein is available for tailored genomic analysis of populations of S. equi and its close relative S. equi subspecies zooepidemicus that are recovered from horses and other animals, including humans, throughout the world. This article contains data hosted by Microreact.