Abstract
Streptococcus iniae is an emerging zoonotic pathogen; such infections generally occur through injuries associated with preparing whole fresh fish for cooking. Those infected to date have been of Asian descent, are usually elderly (average age 68 years), and have had >/=1 underlying conditions that may predispose them to infection. Studies of the foundations of growth characteristics of S. iniae and its interactions with piscine host cells have recently been complemented by molecular studies. Advances in molecular biology have allowed research groups to identify numerous virulence factors and to explore their roles in the progression of S. iniae infection. Many of these virulence factors are homologous to those found in the major human pathogen S. pyogenes. An increased understanding of the properties of these factors and their effect on the success of infection is leading to novel approaches to control S. iniae infection; in particular, vaccination programs at fish farms have reduced the reservoir of infection for additional clinical cases.
Highlights
Streptococcus iniae is an emerging zoonotic pathogen; such infections generally occur through injuries associated with preparing whole fresh fish for cooking
Most cases of human S. iniae infections have been in persons of Asian descent, who are elderly and commonly have >1 underlying conditions such as diabetes mel
Carrier fish have been implicated in fish-to-fish transmission of S. iniae (8), and these carriers may be responsible for human infection because fish with overt signs of disease are unmarketable
Summary
Streptococcus iniae is an emerging zoonotic pathogen; such infections generally occur through injuries associated with preparing whole fresh fish for cooking Those infected to date have been of Asian descent, are usually elderly (average age 68 years), and have had >1 underlying conditions that may predispose them to infection. In a PFGE study of isolates from Australia, similarities between fish pathogenic isolates and human clinical isolates from North America, in addition to multiple genotypes between and within different fish farms, were reported (12) Another PFGE study of strains from a variety of species of diseased fish in the People’s Republic of China found that there were 17 genotypes from 27 strains clustering into 5 major groups (13). In light of the recent rapid increase in our knowledge of this emerging pathogen, we will present a synopsis of the processes involved in infection that have been elucidated to date
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