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Veterinary Sciences
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Research on Streptococcus in Veterinary Medicine
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Research on Streptococcus in Veterinary Medicine

A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Microbiology, Parasitology and Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 October 2023) | Viewed by 16606

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jiale Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: Streptococcus suis; bacterial epidemiology; bacterial pathogenesis; pathogen–host interaction; veterinary vaccine development
Dr. Zhaofei Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: Streptococcus suis; bacteriophage; bacterial epidemiology; innate immunity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Streptococcus is widely associated with different animals. Most of them live in the tonsil, mucosa or skin, and are commensal to animals, but some species/strains can cause severe disease and great economic losses in the breeding industry. Among them, S. suis is a vital swine pathogen that represents a significant threat to pig or pork-contacting peoples and immunocompetent patients.  Although sporadic cases of human infections have been reported worldwide, S. suis outbreaks have emerged in Asia. S. agalactiae (group B streptococcus [GBS]) also is a zoonotic bacterium, which causes invasive infections among neonates, mastitis in cows, and meningoencephalitis in fish. In addition, more and more studies reported that diverse Streptococcus species have become important pathogens of mastitis, wound or systemic infections, such as  S. dysgalactiae, S. uberis, S. equi and S. pyogenes.

Increasing and sharing knowledge on these pathogens is of utmost importance, thus we would like to invite researchers to contribute original research articles, case studies, short reports, or reviews on the following topics based on your expertise: 1) diagnosis; 2) epidemiology and evolution; 3) virulence factors; 4) gene regulation networks; 5) bacteria-host interaction; 6) immune response; 7) bacteriophage; 8) antimicrobial resistance analysis; and 9) development of antimicrobials, vaccines and control measures. It is hoped that this Special Issue will further stimulate collaboration among scientists engaged in all aspects of this field of research.

We welcome and look forward to your contribution.

Dr. Jiale Ma
Dr. Zhaofei Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Streptococcus
  • zoonosis
  • bacteriophage
  • epidemiology
  • genomics
  • diagnosis
  • vaccines
  • antimicrobial resistance

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1263 KiB  
Article
Invasive Bacterial Infections of the Musculoskeletal and Central Nervous System during Pig Rearing: Detection Frequencies of Different Pathogens and Specific Streptococcus suis Genotypes
by Ninette Natascha Bornemann, Leonie Mayer, Sonia Lacouture, Marcelo Gottschalk, Christoph Georg Baums and Katrin Strutzberg-Minder
Vet. Sci. 2024, 11(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11010017 - 2 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3305
Abstract
Locomotor and central nervous system disorders occur during pig rearing, but there is no systematic recording of the different causative agents in Germany. Joint and meningeal swabs, kidneys, lungs, and eight different lymph nodes per pig were cultured, and isolated pathogens were identified [...] Read more.
Locomotor and central nervous system disorders occur during pig rearing, but there is no systematic recording of the different causative agents in Germany. Joint and meningeal swabs, kidneys, lungs, and eight different lymph nodes per pig were cultured, and isolated pathogens were identified using polymerase chain reactions (PCRs). The cps and pathotype of Streptococcus suis (S. suis) isolates were determined using multiplex-PCR. S. suis was the most important pathogen in the infected joints (70.8%) and meningeal swabs (85.4%) and was most frequently detected in both sites in suckling and weaning piglets. To elucidate the possible portal of entry of S. suis, eight different lymph nodes from 201 pigs were examined in a prospective study. S. suis was detected in all examined lymph nodes (n = 1569), including the mesenteric lymph nodes (15.8%; n = 121/765), with cps 9 (37.2%; n = 147) and cps 2 (24.3%; n = 96) being the most dominating cps types. In piglets with a systemic S. suis infection, different lymph nodes are frequently infected with the invasive S. suis strain, which does not help clarify the portal of entry for S. suis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Streptococcus in Veterinary Medicine)
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14 pages, 21187 KiB  
Article
Development of a Universal Multi-Epitope Vaccine Candidate against Streptococcus suis Infections Using Immunoinformatics Approaches
by Yumin Zhang, Guoqing Zhao, Yangjing Xiong, Feiyu Li, Yifan Chen, Yuqiang Cheng, Jingjiao Ma, Henan Wang, Yaxian Yan, Zhaofei Wang and Jianhe Sun
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(6), 383; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10060383 - 31 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2447
Abstract
Streptococcus suis is a significant zoonotic pathogen that is a great threat not only to the swine industry but also to human health, causing arthritis, meningitis, and even streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome. Owing to its many serotypes and high geographic variability, an efficacious [...] Read more.
Streptococcus suis is a significant zoonotic pathogen that is a great threat not only to the swine industry but also to human health, causing arthritis, meningitis, and even streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome. Owing to its many serotypes and high geographic variability, an efficacious cross-protective S. suis vaccine is not readily available. Therefore, this study aimed to design a universal multi-epitope vaccine (MVHP6) that involved three highly immunogenic proteins of S. suis, namely, the surface antigen containing a glycosaminoglycan binding domain (HP0197), endopeptidase (PepO), and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD). Forecasted T-cell and B-cell epitopes with high antigenic properties and a suitable adjuvant were linked to construct a multi-epitope vaccine. In silico analysis showed that the selected epitopes were conserved in highly susceptible serotypes for humans. Thereafter, we evaluated the different parameters of MVHP6 and showed that MVHP6 was highly antigenic, non-toxic, and non-allergenic. To verify whether the vaccine could display appropriate epitopes and maintain high stability, the MVHP6 tertiary structure was modeled, refined, and validated. Molecular docking studies revealed a strong binding interaction between the vaccine and the toll-like receptor (TLR4), whereas molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated the vaccine’s compatibility, binding stability, and structural compactness. Moreover, the in silico analysis showed that MVHP6 could evoke strong immune responses and enable worldwide population coverage. Moreover, MVHP6 was cloned into the pET28a (+) vector in silico to ensure the credibility, validation, and proper expression of the vaccine construct. The findings suggested that the proposed multi-epitope vaccine can provide cross-protection against S. suis infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Streptococcus in Veterinary Medicine)
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13 pages, 2192 KiB  
Article
Host PTX3 Protein and Bacterial Capsule Coordinately Regulate the Inflammatory Response during Streptococcus suis Infection
by Qiankun Bai, Ruhui Fan, Ningyuan Zhong, Jianan Liu, Xinming Pan, Huochun Yao and Jiale Ma
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(3), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10030239 - 22 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1878
Abstract
Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (SS2) is a noteworthy zoonotic pathogen that has been responsible for large economic losses in pig production and a great threat to human health. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is an essential regulator of the innate immune response to bacterial pathogens; [...] Read more.
Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (SS2) is a noteworthy zoonotic pathogen that has been responsible for large economic losses in pig production and a great threat to human health. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is an essential regulator of the innate immune response to bacterial pathogens; however, its role during SS2 infection is not fully understood. In this study, we found that the SS2 strain HA9801 induced a significant inflammatory response in the mouse air pouch model; this response was amplified by the treatment of exogenous PTX3 simultaneously in terms of the results of inflammatory cell recruitment and proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 production. In addition, PTX3 facilitated the phagocytosis of macrophage Ana-1 against SS2 strain HA9801. The supplementation of exogenous PTX3 significantly reduced the bacterial loads in a dose-dependent manner in lungs, livers and bloods of SS2-infected mice compared to the samples with HA9801 infection alone; this finding indicated that PTX3 may facilitate the bacterial clearance through enhancing the host inflammatory response during SS2 infection. Both PTX3 and SS2 capsular polysaccharide (CPS2) were required for the robust inflammatory response, implying that the host PTX3 protein and SS2 surface CPS2 modulate the host innate immune response in concert. All of these results suggested that PTX3 is a potential novel biological agent for the SS2 infection; however, the recommended dose of PTX3 must be evaluated strictly to avoid inducing an excessive inflammatory response that can cause serious tissue injury and animal death. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Streptococcus in Veterinary Medicine)
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9 pages, 836 KiB  
Article
Voluntary Biosurveillance of Streptococcus equi Subsp. equi in Nasal Secretions of 9409 Equids with Upper Airway Infection in the USA
by Camilo Jaramillo-Morales, Kaitlyn James, Samantha Barnum, Wendy Vaala, Duane E. Chappell, Chrissie Schneider, Bryant Craig, Fairfield Bain, D. Craig Barnett, Earl Gaughan and Nicola Pusterla
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(2), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10020078 - 20 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2050
Abstract
This study aimed to describe selected epidemiological aspects of horses with acute onset of fever and respiratory signs testing qPCR-positive for S. equi and to determine the effect of vaccination against S. equi on qPCR status. Horses with acute onset of fever and [...] Read more.
This study aimed to describe selected epidemiological aspects of horses with acute onset of fever and respiratory signs testing qPCR-positive for S. equi and to determine the effect of vaccination against S. equi on qPCR status. Horses with acute onset of fever and respiratory signs from all regions of the United States were included in a voluntary biosurveillance program from 2008 to 2020 and nasal secretions were tested via qPCR for S. equi and common respiratory viruses. A total of 715/9409 equids (7.6%) tested qPCR-positive for S. equi, with 226 horses showing coinfections with EIV, EHV-1, EHV-4, and ERBV. The median age for the S. equi qPCR-positive horses was 8 ± 4 years and there was significant difference when compared to the median age of the S. equi qPCR-negative horses (6 ± 2 years; p = 0.004). Quarter Horse, Warmblood, and Thoroughbred were the more frequent breed in this horse population, and these breeds were more likely to test qPCR-positive for S. equi compared to other breeds. There was not statistical difference for sex between S. equi qPCR-positive and qPCR-negative horses. Horses used for competition and ranch/farm use were more likely to test qPCR-positive for S. equi (p = 0.006). Horses that tested S. equi qPCR-positive were more likely to display nasal discharge, fever, lethargy, anorexia, and ocular discharge compared to horses that tested S. equi qPCR-negative (p = 0.001). Vaccination against S. equi was associated with a lower frequency of S. equi qPCR-positive status. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Streptococcus in Veterinary Medicine)
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15 pages, 1976 KiB  
Article
Molecular Features and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Streptococcus equi ssp. equi Isolates from Strangles Cases in Indonesia
by Dordia Anindita Rotinsulu, Christa Ewers, Katharina Kerner, Amrozi Amrozi, Retno Damayanti Soejoedono, Torsten Semmler and Rolf Bauerfeind
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(1), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10010049 - 10 Jan 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2811
Abstract
Strangles, caused by Streptococcus equi ssp. equi (S. equi equi), is a highly infectious and frequent disease of equines worldwide. No data are available regarding the molecular epidemiology of strangles in Indonesia. This study aimed to characterize S. equi equi isolates [...] Read more.
Strangles, caused by Streptococcus equi ssp. equi (S. equi equi), is a highly infectious and frequent disease of equines worldwide. No data are available regarding the molecular epidemiology of strangles in Indonesia. This study aimed to characterize S. equi equi isolates obtained from suspected strangles cases in Indonesia in 2018. Isolates originated from seven diseased horses on four different farms located in three provinces of Indonesia. Whole genome sequences of these isolates were determined and used for seM typing, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and core genome MLS typing (cgMLST). Genomes were also screened for known antimicrobial resistance genes and genes encoding for the recombinant antigens used in the commercial Strangvac® subunit vaccine. All seven S. equi equi isolates from Indonesia belonged to ST179 and carried seM allele 166. Isolates differed from each other by only 2 to 14 cgSNPs and built an exclusive sub-cluster within the Bayesian Analysis of Population Structure (BAPS) cluster 2 (BAPS-2) of the S. equi equi cgMLST scheme. All isolates revealed predicted amino acid sequence identity to seven and high similarity to one of the eight antigen fragments contained in Strangvac®. Furthermore, all isolates were susceptible to beta-lactam antibiotics penicillin G, ampicillin, and ceftiofur. Our data suggest that the horses from this study were affected by strains of the same novel sublineage within globally distributed BAPS-2 of S. equi equi. Nevertheless, penicillin G can be used as a first-choice antibiotic against these strains and Strangvac® may also be protective against Indonesian strains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Streptococcus in Veterinary Medicine)
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13 pages, 3005 KiB  
Article
Subunit Vaccine Targeting Phosphate ABC Transporter ATP-Binding Protein, PstB, Provides Cross-Protection against Streptococcus suis Serotype 2, 7, and 9 in Mice
by Zujie Yan, Xiaohui Yao, Ruyi Pan, Junjie Zhang, Xiaochun Ma, Nihua Dong, Jianchao Wei, Ke Liu, Yafeng Qiu, Katie Sealey, Hester Nichols, Michael A. Jarvis, Mathew Upton, Xiangdong Li, Zhiyong Ma, Juxiang Liu and Beibei Li
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(1), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10010048 - 9 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2622
Abstract
Streptococcus suis is a significant pathogen in pigs and a newly emerging zoonotic agent in humans. The presence of multiple serotypes and strains with diversified sequence types in pig herds highlights the need for the identification of broadly cross-reactive universal vaccine antigen targets, [...] Read more.
Streptococcus suis is a significant pathogen in pigs and a newly emerging zoonotic agent in humans. The presence of multiple serotypes and strains with diversified sequence types in pig herds highlights the need for the identification of broadly cross-reactive universal vaccine antigen targets, capable of providing cross-protection against S. suis infection. Subunit vaccines based on the conserved proteins shared between different S. suis serotypes are potential candidates for such a universally protective vaccine. In the present study, phosphate ABC transporter ATP-binding protein PstB (PstB), an immunogenic protein of the S. suis bacterium, was expressed and purified, and then subjected to cross-protection evaluation in mice. The PstB protein showed nearly 100% amino acid similarity across a panel of 31 S. suis isolates representing different serotypes, which were collected from different countries. A recombinant PstB (rPstB) protein (S. suis serotype 2) was recognized by rabbit sera specific to this serotype, and induced high levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 in mice immunized with the recombinant protein. These cytokines are considered important for protection against S. suis infection. Immunization of mice with rPstB resulted in an 87.5% protection against challenge with S. suis serotype 2 and 9 strains, suggesting a high level of cross-protection for S. suis serotypes 2 and 9. A lower protection rate (62.5%) was observed in mice challenged with the S. suis serotype 7 strain. These data demonstrate that PstB is a promising target antigen for development as a component of a universal subunit vaccine against multiple S. suis serotypes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Streptococcus in Veterinary Medicine)
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