Streptococcus agalactiaeInfection in Domestic Rabbits,Oryctolagus cuniculus

Abstract

Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B streptococcus, GBS) has emerged as an important pathogen that affects humans and animals, including aquatic species. In August 2011, a severe infectious disease affecting rabbits, which caused 42% mortality, occurred in Mianyang, Sichuan Province, China. The main clinical signs included acute respiratory distress syndrome, fever, paddling and convulsions. A Gram-positive, chain-forming coccus was isolated from the primary organs and tissues of diseased rabbits and then identified as S. agalactiae by morphology, biochemical and physiological characteristics, 16S rDNA and gyrB gene sequences analysis. All isolates of S. agalactiae showed a similar antibiotic susceptibility, which were sensitive to florfenicol, ampicillin,gentamicin and norfloxacin, as well as being resistant to penicillin, amoxicillin and tetracycline. To our knowledge, this is the first report on S. agalactiae natural infection in domestic rabbits.

Influence of three coccidiostats on the pharmacokinetics of florfenicol in rabbits

“…FFC also shows activity against many chloramphenicol-resistant bacterial strains involved in common infections in most animals [ 4 , 7 ]. Recent studies have indicated that FFC can effectively inhibit the growth of Streptococcus agalactiae , an important pathogen resulting in a severe infectious disease in domestic rabbits that is resistant to penicillin, amoxicillin, and tetracycline [ 27 ]. The pharmacokinetics of FFC have been extensively studied in many species of animals [ 25 ], especially in rabbits [ 1 , 18 , 23 ].…”

Epizootics of Streptococcus agalactiae infection in captive rays from Queensland, Australia

“…Possible routes of infection and transmission for S. agalactiae infection in rays may include horizontal infection, through waterborne exposure or oral transmission through ingestion of contaminated feed, as documented for fish and other animals (Bowater, ; Delamare‐Deboutteville et al., ; Hetzel et al., ; Ren et al., ). In the present study, some rays had inflammation and S. agalactiae infection in the soft tissues of the dorsal cranium, suggestive of involvement of endolymphatic ducts, which bacteria could ascend to infect the brain and meninges.…”

“…In general, S. agalactiae infection in fish typically results in lesions indicative of bacteraemia, that is, disseminated multifocal and multi‐organ foci of inflammation, especially involving brain, eye, heart, kidney, liver and spleen (Baya et al., ; Bowater et al., ; Evans, Klesius et al., ; Hernández et al., ). However, the nature of the inflammatory response varies amongst host species, ranging from granulomatous, to mononuclear, to granulocytic or necrotizing (Edelsten & Pegram, ; Liu et al., ; Musa et al., ; Ren et al., ; Zappulli et al., ). Rays in the present study showed a mixture of granulocytic to mononuclear inflammatory lesions, consistent with pathology shown by juvenile Queensland grouper inoculated with S. agalactiae (Bowater, ; Delamare‐Deboutteville et al., ).…”

“…Streptococcus agalactiae is a significant bacterial pathogen of animals, largely known for causing mastitis in cows, but also causing a variety of conditions such as meningoencephalitis, necrotizing fasciitis, pyometra, and generalized septicaemia in many terrestrial animals including horses, camels, dogs, cats, monkeys, hamsters, mice, rabbits and lizards (Edelsten & Pegram, ; Elliott, Facklam, & Richter, ; Hetzel, König, Yildirim, Lämmler, & Kipar, ; Lämmler, Abdulmawjood, & Weiβ, ; Memarian, ; Ren et al., ; Yildirim, Lämmler, & Weiss, ). In humans, S. agalactiae is a cause of morbidity in neonates and can cause septicaemia and meningitis in immuno‐compromised elderly people (Edwards & Baker, ; Harris, Siew, Proud, Buettner, & Norton, ).…”

Genetic Diversity of Streptococcus agalactiae from Multiple Host Species in China

“…Streptococcus agalactiae, or group B Streptococcus (GBS), is a Gram positive coccus with global distribution (1,2). Streptococcus agalactiae cause neonatal meningitis in humans, mastitis in cattle, acute sepsis in rabbits, and meningoencephalitis as well as septicemia in fish (2)(3)(4). The capsular polysaccharide is contributing to the pathogenicity of S. agalactiae and it is useful in bacterial genotyping (5).…”