title: Potential Transmission Pathways of Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus.
abstract: Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus (S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus), a member of group D streptococci, is an inhabitant of the animal and human gastrointestinal tract. Furthermore, it is a facultative pathogen which causes e.g. endocarditis, septicemia and mastitis. S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus may be transmitted either directly or indirectly between animals and humans. However, the transmission routes are an unsolved issue. In this study, we present systematic analyses of an S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus isolate of an infective endocarditis patient in relation to isolates of his laying hen flock. Isolates from pooled droppings of laying hens, pooled dust samples and human blood culture were characterized by using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and DNA fingerprinting. MLST revealed the same allelic profile of isolates from the human blood culture and from the droppings of laying hens. In addition, these isolates showed clonal identity regarding a similar DNA fingerprinting pattern. For the first time, we received a hint that transmission of S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus between poultry and humans may occur. This raises the question about the zoonotic potential of isolates from poultry and should be considered in future studies.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jessika
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dumke
authors.affiliation: Institute for Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hinse
authors.affiliation: Institute for Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vollmer
authors.affiliation: Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behavior, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.affiliation: Institute for Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
authors.forename: Cornelius
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Knabbe
authors.affiliation: Institute for Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dreier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002645:Chickens; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000635:transmission; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins