Cantelmi Maria Chiara, Merola Carmine, Averaimo Daniela, Chiaverini Alexandra, Cito Francesca, Cocco Antonio, Di Teodoro Giovanni, De Angelis Maria Elisabetta, Di Bernardo Daniela, Auzino Davide, Petrini Antonio
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise "G. Caporale", Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy.
Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy.
Pathogens. 2023 May 23;12(6):750. doi: 10.3390/pathogens12060750.
sub. (SEZ) is described as a commensal bacterium of several animal species, including humans. Growing evidence supports the potential role of SEZ in the onset and progression of severe clinical manifestations of diseases in horses and other animals. In the present communication, we describe the diagnostic procedure applied to characterize the streptococcal infections caused by a novel SEZ sequence type (ST525) in donkeys raised on a farm in Abruzzo, Italy. The diagnostic process began with anamnesis and anatomopathological analysis, which revealed a severe bacterial suppurative bronchopneumonia associated with systemic vascular damage and haemorrhages. Then, SEZ infection was confirmed by applying an integrative diagnostic strategy that included standard bacterial isolation techniques, analytical tools for bacteria identification (MALDI-TOF MS), and molecular analysis (PCR). Furthermore, the application of the whole-genome sequencing approach helped us to identify the bacterial strains and the virulence factors involved in animal diseases. The novel SEZ-ST525 was identified in two cases of the disease. This new sequence type was isolated from the lung, liver, and spleen in Case 1, and from retropharyngeal lymph nodes in Case 2. Moreover, the presence of the virulence gene , a virulence factor carried by prophages in , was also found for the first time in an SEZ strain. The results of the present study highlight the need to apply an integrated diagnostic approach for the identification and tracking of pathogenic strains of SEZ, shedding new light on the re-evaluation of these bacteria as a causative agent of disease in animals and humans.
亚种（SEZ）被描述为包括人类在内的多种动物的共生细菌。越来越多的证据支持SEZ在马和其他动物疾病严重临床表现的发生和发展中可能发挥的作用。在本通讯中，我们描述了应用于意大利阿布鲁佐一个农场饲养的驴身上，由新型SEZ序列类型（ST525）引起的链球菌感染特征的诊断程序。诊断过程始于问诊和解剖病理学分析，结果显示存在严重的细菌性化脓性支气管肺炎，并伴有全身血管损伤和出血。然后，通过应用包括标准细菌分离技术、细菌鉴定分析工具（基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱，MALDI - TOF MS）和分子分析（PCR）在内的综合诊断策略，证实了SEZ感染。此外，全基因组测序方法的应用帮助我们识别了涉及动物疾病的细菌菌株和毒力因子。在两例疾病中鉴定出了新型SEZ - ST525。在病例1中，从肺、肝和脾中分离出这种新的序列类型，在病例2中，从咽后淋巴结中分离出该序列类型。此外，首次在一株SEZ菌株中发现了毒力基因，这是一种由噬菌体携带的毒力因子。本研究结果强调了应用综合诊断方法来识别和追踪SEZ致病菌株的必要性，为重新评估这些细菌作为动物和人类疾病病原体提供了新的思路。
