Isolation and characterization of β-haemolytic-Streptococci from endometritis in mares

• Published in: Veterinary microbiology 2011-08, Vol.152 (1), p.126-130
• Main Authors: Casagrande Proietti, P., Bietta, A., Coppola, G., Felicetti, M., Cook, R.F., Coletti, M., Marenzoni, M.L., Passamonti, F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal biology; Animals; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial diseases of the genital system; Bacteriological method; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Endometritis; Endometritis - microbiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; genes; Horses; Horses - microbiology; Human bacterial diseases; Infectious diseases; Life Sciences; mares; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; PCR; polymerase chain reaction; Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods; Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; reliability; Reproducibility of Results; ribosomal RNA; Streptococcal Infections - veterinary; Streptococcus - genetics; Streptococcus - isolation & purification; Streptococcus dysgalactiae; Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis; Streptococcus equi; Streptococcus equi subsp. equi; Superantigens; Superantigens - genetics; Veterinary medicine and animal Health; β-Haemolytic Streptococci
• ISSN: 0378-1135; 1873-2542
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2011.04.009

The objective of this manuscript was to validate published PCR-based methods for detection of β-haemolytic Streptococci by comparison with established bacteriological techniques using 85 clinical isolates recovered from uterine swabs of mares with clinical signs of endometritis and to determine the distribution of SeeL/SeeM and SzeL/SzeM superantigens in isolates of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi ( S. equi) and S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus ( S. zooepidemicus). The conventional bacteriological techniques showed the vast majority of these isolates (78) were S. zooepidemicus with just 5 Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis ( S. equisimilis) and 2 S. equi strains detected. The PCR analyses confirmed the bacteriological results demonstrating the reliability of the 16S rRNA PCR assay for detecting Streptococci, the multiplex PCR for differentiating between S. zooepidemicus, and S. equi, and PCR assays based on streptokinase genes for identification of S. equisimilis. PCRs for genes encoding superantigens revealed seeL and seeM specific amplicons with size of approximately 800 and 810 bp respectively for the S. equi strains and for 2 S. zooepidemicus strains. To our knowledge, this is the first report of s zeL and szeM possession by S. zooepidemicus isolates derived from endometritis in mares.