Abstract
Streptococcus suis is an emerging zoonotic human pathogen, which is a causative agent of invasive infections in people who are in close contact with infected pigs or contaminated pork products. It is associated with severe systemic infections, most commonly meningitis and sepsis, which may lead to high rates of morbidity and mortality. Serotype 2 is the most prevalent type in S. suis infections in humans. We have reported a case of a very rapidly proceeding fatal human S. suis infection in a splenectomized, but otherwise immunocompetent patient in Hungary. We would like to highlight the attention for this pathogen for the risk group patients, not only pig breeders, veterinarians, abattoir workers, meat processing and transport workers, butchers and cooks, that those persons who are immunocompromised including those with spleen removed, persons with diabetes mellitus, cancer and alcoholism, are also at greater risk of infection.
Highlights
Streptococcus suis is a group of heterogeneous Gram-positive bacteria that were earlier classified into the Lancefield groups R, S, and T
Clinical presentations associated with this species in human infections are most frequently manifest as acute purulent bacterial meningitis, but include sepsis, streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome (STSLS) with multiple organ failure, endocarditis, and uveitis-endophthalmitis [2,3,4]
S. suis infection normally occurs among certain risk population veterianers, hunters, farmers, and abattoir works involving meat processing [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Summary
Streptococcus suis is a group of heterogeneous Gram-positive bacteria that were earlier classified into the Lancefield groups R, S, and T. Acta Microbiologica et Immunologica Hungarica 67 (2020) 3, 148–155 loss and vestibular dysfunction are commonly noted sequelae of these infections [5] Such infections are typically sporadic, and in the majority of cases, occur in particular occupational groups, such as pig breeders, veterinarians, hunters, meat processing and transport workers, butchers and cooks. Skin injury in the presence of pig/pork contact was described in 20–25% of the published cases of S. suis infections [6]. There are a lot of people working with these animals (farmers breeding or involved in the transportation of pigs, dealing with the processing of pork meat for consumption, e.g., butchers or workers in meat plants), until this time only one case of human S. suis infection has been previously described in Hungary, but only in the Hungarian-language literature in Hungary [18]. Capsular polysaccharide (CPS) a determinant of serotypes, but it is very important virulence factor and has high anti-phagocytic effects against monocytes, neutrophils and dendritic cells [19,20,21]
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