title: Organic Turkey Flocks: A Reservoir of Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies gallolyticus.
abstract: Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies gallolyticus (S. gallolyticus) can colonise the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals and is known to cause similar infections in both humans and animals. Data about the spread or prevalence in farm animals are missing. In this study, Trypton Soya Agar was modified to a selective medium enabling the isolation and quantification of S. gallolyticus from faecal samples. The bacterium was observed in 82 out of 91 faecal samples obtained from 18 different organic turkey flocks. The prevalence of shedding birds was estimated by the number of positive fresh droppings and reached up to 100% on most farms. Furthermore, for the first time S. gallolyticus was quantified in faeces from poultry flocks. The median of colony forming units (CFU) per gramme faeces was 3.6 x 10(5) CFU/g. Typing of one isolate from each positive faecal sample by multilocus sequence typing delivered 24 sequence types (STs). Most of the isolates belonged to the clonal complex CC58. The same STs of this complex were detected in up to six different flocks. Partly, these flocks were located in various regions and stocked with varying breeding lines. Regarding the biochemical profiles of the same STs from different farms, the results did not contradict a spread of specific STs in the organic turkey production. Moreover, checking the pubMLST database revealed that STs found in this study were also found in other animal species and in humans. The high detection rate and the number of S. gallolyticus in turkey faeces indicate that this bacterium probably belongs to the common microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract of turkeys from organic flocks. Furthermore, the findings of this study support the suggestion of a possible interspecies transmission.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behaviour, 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: 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: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dreier
authors.affiliation: Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behaviour, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Christin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Habig
authors.affiliation: Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Behaviour, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kemper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005843:Geography; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing / Q000379:methods; D010802:Phylogeny; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000235:genetics; D014422:Turkeys / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C095500:SodA protein, Bacteria; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase