Human zoonotic infectious disease caused by <i>Streptococcus equi</i> subsp. <i>zooepidemicus</i>
Mi-Sun Kim, Sang Taek Heo, Hyunjoo Oh, Miyeon Kim, Jaemin Jo, Young Ree Kim, Keun Hwa Lee, Jeong Rae Yoo
Abstract
Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (SEZ) is a highly contagious infectious organism that causes disease in horses. SEZ is seldom isolated from humans; however, zoonotic infections are occasionally reported in individuals exposed to horses and other livestock. Herein, we report three human cases of SEZ in individuals, one with direct horse contact and two among individuals who had eaten raw horse meat. The phylogenetic tree showed that the genotypes of SEZ isolates from two of the cases on Jeju Island, South Korea, were similar to those of isolates from the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Topics & Concepts
Streptococcus equiZoonosisHorseBiologyGenotypeVeterinary medicinePhylogenetic treeZoonotic diseaseEquidaeLivestockMicrobiologyVirologyDiseaseMedicineBacteriaEcologyGeneBiochemistryGeneticsPathologyPaleontologyStreptococcal Infections and TreatmentsMicrobial infections and disease researchDiphtheria, Corynebacterium, and Tetanus