Numberger Daniela, Siebert Ursula, Fulde Marcus, Valentin-Weigand Peter
Institute for Microbiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany.
Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstraße 6, 25761 Buesum, Germany.
Microorganisms. 2021 Feb 10;9(2):350. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9020350.
Marine mammals are sentinels for the marine ecosystem and threatened by numerous factors including infectious diseases. One of the most frequently isolated bacteria are beta-hemolytic streptococci. However, knowledge on ecology and epidemiology of streptococcal species in marine mammals is very limited. This review summarizes published reports on streptococcal species, which have been detected in marine mammals. Furthermore, we discuss streptococcal transmission between and adaptation to their marine mammalian hosts. We conclude that streptococci colonize and/or infect marine mammals very frequently, but in many cases, streptococci isolated from marine mammals have not been further identified. How these bacteria disseminate and adapt to their specific niches can only be speculated due to the lack of respective research. Considering the relevance of pathogenic streptococci for marine mammals as part of the marine ecosystem, it seems that they have been neglected and should receive scientific interest in the future.
海洋哺乳动物是海洋生态系统的哨兵，受到包括传染病在内的众多因素的威胁。最常分离出的细菌之一是β溶血性链球菌。然而，关于海洋哺乳动物中链球菌种类的生态学和流行病学知识非常有限。这篇综述总结了已发表的关于在海洋哺乳动物中检测到的链球菌种类的报告。此外，我们讨论了链球菌在海洋哺乳动物宿主之间的传播以及对宿主的适应性。我们得出结论，链球菌非常频繁地定殖和/或感染海洋哺乳动物，但在许多情况下，从海洋哺乳动物中分离出的链球菌尚未得到进一步鉴定。由于缺乏相关研究，这些细菌如何传播并适应其特定生态位只能进行推测。考虑到致病性链球菌作为海洋生态系统一部分对海洋哺乳动物的相关性，它们似乎一直被忽视，未来应该受到科学界的关注。
