Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of Streptococcus suis Infections in Catalonia, Spain

Abstract

Introduction:Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is a human zoonotic pathogen of occupational origin, with infection acquired through contact with live pigs or pig meat. Pig farming is one of Catalonia's biggest industries and as a result this region of Spain has one of the highest density pig populations per km2. The aim of our study was to describe the infections caused by S. suis occurring in that area over a 9-year period.Materials and Methods: A retrospective, multi-center study was carried out by searching records from 15 hospitals in Catalonia for the period between 2010 and 2019.Results: Over the study period altogether nine cases of S. suis infection were identified in five hospitals, with five of these cases occurring in the 2018–2019 period. The mean age of patients was 48 ± 8.9 years and all of them were males. Five patients (55.6%) worked in pig farms. The most frequent manifestation of infection was meningitis (5 cases; 55.6%) followed by septic arthritis (3 cases; 33.3%). None of the patients died at 30 days; nonetheless, 4 developed hearing loss as a long-term complication.Conclusion: The most commonly identified S. suis infection was meningitis. Over 50% of the episodes occurred in the last 2 years and have affected pig farm workers. Further surveillance is needed in order to know its prevalence.

Establishment and application of an indirect ELISA for the detection of antibodies to porcine Streptococcus suis based on a recombinant GMD protein

“…Studies of the prevalence of S. suis on pig farms in the three main European pig producing countries of Germany, the Netherlands and Spain showed 3.3 to 4.0% of pigs in infected farms had S. suis related disease with mortality rates of 0.5 to 0.9% [32] . In Spain, researchers found that 55.6% of patients worked in pig farms [31] .…”

Meningitis and sepsis caused by Streptococcus suis in an elderly woman: A CARE-compliant case report

“…All patients were male, with an average age of 48 ± 8.9 years, and more than half of them worked on pig farms. [ 2 ] In addition, 1 study found that once patients who had undergone splenectomy were infected with S suis , their immune system could not rapidly recognize and remove the pathogen owing to impaired immune function. Pathogens accumulates in the body and rapidly destroys tissues, resulting in hypertonic capillaries.…”

“…[8] The most common clinical manifestation of S suis infection is meningitis, followed by septic arthritis, and approximately half of patients have residual hearing impairment. [2] For the anti-infection regimen of S suis infection, β-lactam antibiotics are used empirically to treat S suis infections and have been shown to be safe and efficacious. [17] However, for bacterial meningitis without knowledge of the causative pathogen, many guidelines recommend vancomycin plus β-lactam antibiotics.…”

“…However, it spreads naturally between humans and (especially infected) pigs, causing zoonotic infectious diseases. [2][3][4] S suis is divided into 2 types: type I infects only pigs and has no effect on humans, whereas type II infects humans, causing infection at different sites. [5] Human infection with S suis has no specific clinical manifestations at the early stage; however, the disease causes it to progress rapidly, leading to meningitis, sepsis, septic shock, arthritis, pneumonia, or endophthalmitis.…”

“…However, it spreads naturally between humans and (especially infected) pigs, causing zoonotic infectious diseases. [ 2 – 4 ] S suis is divided into 2 types: type I infects only pigs and has no effect on humans, whereas type II infects humans, causing infection at different sites. [ 5 ]…”