Streptococcus suis, an important cause of adult bacterial meningitis in northern Vietnam.
BACKGROUND
Streptococcus suis can cause severe systemic infection in adults exposed to infected pigs or after consumption of undercooked pig products. S. suis is often misdiagnosed, due to lack of awareness and improper testing. Here we report the first fifty cases diagnosed with S. suis infection in northern Viet Nam.


RESULTS
In 2007, diagnostics for S. suis were set up at a national hospital in Hanoi. That year there were 43 S. suis positive cerebrospinal fluid samples, of which S. suis could be cultured in 32 cases and 11 cases were only positive by PCR. Seven patients were blood culture positive for S. suis but CSF culture and PCR negative; making a total of 50 patients with laboratory confirmed S. suis infection in 2007. The number of S. suis cases peaked during the warmer months.


CONCLUSIONS
S. suis was commonly diagnosed as a cause of bacterial meningitis in adults in northern Viet Nam. In countries where there is intense and widespread exposure of humans to pigs, S. suis can be an important human pathogen.
Wertheim
Heiman F L
HF
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Hanoi, Viet Nam. Hwertheim@oucru.org
Nguyen
Huyen Nguyen
HN
Taylor
Walter
W
Lien
Trinh Thi Minh
TT
Ngo
Hoa Thi
HT
Nguyen
Thai Quoc
TQ
Nguyen
Bich Ngoc Thi
BN
Nguyen
Ha Hong
HH
Nguyen
Ha Minh
HM
Nguyen
Cap Trung
CT
Dao
Trinh Tuyet
TT
Nguyen
Trung Vu
TV
Fox
Annette
A
Farrar
Jeremy
J
Schultsz
Constance
C
Nguyen
Hien Duc
HD
Nguyen
Kinh Van
KV
Horby
Peter
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D017011:Streptococcus suis / Q000378:metabolism*; D013552:Swine; D014744:Vietnam