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Intracranial Subarachnoidal Route of Infection for Investigating Roles of Streptococcus suis Biofilms in Meningitis in a Mouse Infection Model
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Acute meningitis of piglets and mice caused by co-infected with Streptococcus suis and Aerococcus viridans

Zihao Pan1, Ye Ma1, Jiale Ma2

  • 1College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; OIE Reference Laboratory for Swine Streptococcosis, Nanjing 210095, China.

Microbial Pathogenesis
|November 7, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Co-infection with Aerococcus viridans (A. viridans) significantly enhances Streptococcus suis (S. suis) meningitis and mortality in piglets. This study highlights the crucial need to investigate this coinfection

Area of Science:

  • Veterinary Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Animal Pathology

Background:

  • Streptococcus suis (S. suis) and Aerococcus viridans (A. viridans) are opportunistic pathogens.
  • Bacterial meningitis outbreaks in piglets have been observed.
  • The interaction between these two pathogens requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the pathogenicity and symbiotic relationship of S. suis and A. viridans during simultaneous infection.
  • To evaluate the impact of A. viridans co-infection on S. suis-induced meningitis in a murine model.
  • To report the first instance of A. viridans and S. suis coinfection causing bacterial meningitis in piglets and mice.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation of S. suis and A. viridans from infected piglets.
  • Establishment of a murine model for simultaneous coinfection studies.
  • Analysis of bacterial distribution and titers in various organs.

Main Results:

  • Co-infection with A. viridans significantly enhanced the pathogenicity of a new S. suis serotype, leading to increased meningitis and mortality in mice.
  • S. suis titers increased in the lungs during coinfection, while A. viridans titers remained low.
  • This is the first report of A. viridans and S. suis coinfection causing bacterial meningitis outbreaks.

Conclusions:

  • A. viridans co-infection exacerbates S. suis-induced bacterial meningitis and mortality.
  • Understanding the pathogenesis of this coinfection is critical for the swine industry.
  • Further research is urgently needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this synergistic interaction.

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