Molecular Features and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Streptococcus equi ssp. equi Isolates from Strangles Cases in Indonesia

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 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.

Antibacterial activity of plant extracts against Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus isolates from guinea pigs with lymphadenitis in Ecuador

“…Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus is recognized as a zoonotic pathogen [ 33 ], a facultative pathogen capable of affecting both animals and humans [ 1 ]. It is the most important bacterium among the main infectious agents affecting guinea pigs raised commercially.…”

“…Briefly, using sterile swabs, the pus was inoculated onto a 5 % (v/v) blood agar base and incubated at 37 °C ± 1 °C for 24 h. During this time, colonies with beta-hemolysis characteristic of pathogenic Streptococcus were observed. After 24 h, a single colony of the bacteria was taken with a bacteriological loop and inoculated onto a Petri dish containing 20 mL of Mueller-Hinton agar and incubated at 37 °C ± 1 °C for 24 h [ 33 ].…”

Perkembangan terkini penyakit strangles yang disebabkan oleh bakteri Streptococcus equi subspecies equi di Indonesia

“…Secara keseluruhan, terdapat 218 sampel yang dinyatakan positif secara serologis terhadap strangles (Kementerian Pertanian, 2018b). Penelitian terbaru oleh Rotinsulu et al (2023) melaporkan bahwa S. equi equi diisolasi dari tujuh kuda di empat peternakan berbeda di Pulau Jawa pada tahun 2018. Analisis whole genome sequencing menunjukkan bahwa isolat S. equi equi dari Indonesia yang diperiksa termasuk dalam seM tipe 166, Sequence Type (ST)-179, dan membentuk subkluster eksklusif di BAPS-2 pada pohon filogenetik berdasarkan analisis core genome Multi Locus Sequence Typing (cgMLST) (Rotinsulu et al, 2023).…”

Development of a Real-Time Recombinase-Aided Amplification Method for the Rapid Detection of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi

“…It is worth noting that sporadic cases have been reported where veterinarians or individuals in close contact with infected horses have also contracted the disease [9,10]. Since its discovery, S. equi has been rapidly disseminated worldwide [4,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], acquiring notable antibiotic resistance [19], and therefore has significant implications for human biosecurity [20]. Carriers of this pathogen may remain asymptomatic, resulting in an undetectable disease state [21,22].…”