title: Human Streptococcus suis outbreak, Sichuan, China.
abstract: From mid-July to the end of August 2005, a total of 215 cases of human Streptococcus suis infections, 66 of which were laboratory confirmed, were reported in Sichuan, China. All infections occurred in backyard farmers who were directly exposed to infection during the slaughtering process of pigs that had died of unknown causes or been killed for food because they were ill. Sixty-one (28%) of the farmers had streptococcal toxic shock syndrome; 38 (62%) of them died. The other illnesses reported were sepsis (24%) and meningitis (48%) or both. All isolates tested positive for genes for tuf, species-specific 16S rRNA, cps2J, mrp, ef, and sly. A single strain of S. suis caused the outbreak, as shown by the identification of a single ribotype. The high death ratio was of concern; prohibiting backyard slaughtering ended the outbreak.
authors.affiliation: Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hongjie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Huaiqi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.forename: Zhihai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shiwen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lunguang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Rongqiang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zu
authors.forename: Longze
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Nijuan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: Honglu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xuecheng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yuelong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.forename: Shui Shan
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Shuk Kwan
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Weizhong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010444:Peptide Elongation Factor Tu / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021521:Ribotyping; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D017011:Streptococcus suis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D010444:Peptide Elongation Factor Tu