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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 |
doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1519247
This article is part of the Research Topic Bioinformatics approaches to investigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human, animal and environment View all 6 articles
Streptococcus suis-associated neonatal meningitis and sepsis: characterization, antimicrobial resistance, and public health implications Brief research report
Provisionally accepted
Giovanna Fusco
1
Rubina Paradiso
1
Lorena Cardillo
1*
Maria Antonia Salvia
2*
Veronica Del Monaco
1
Gianfranco Scarpelli
2*
Francesca Greco
3*
Antonio Rinaldi
1
Lorella Barca
1
Stefania Ambrogio
1*
Antonio Limone
1*
Esterina De Carlo
1
Giorgia Borriello
1- 1 Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Southern Italy (IZSM), Portici, Italy
- 2 Azienda Ospedaliera di Cosenza, Unit of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care, Cosenza, Italy
- 3 Azienda ospedaliera di Cosenza, Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Cosenza, Italy
Neonatal meningitis and sepsis were diagnosed in a 32-day-old preterm born infant. Streptococcus (S.) suis was isolated from cerebrospinal fluid and blood. Next-generation sequencing showed the strain was serotype 2 sequence type 1, showing ermB and tet(W) genes responsible for resistance to macrolides and tetracycline, respectively, several pilus-associated genes, and 20 virulence factors. High homology was observed with previously identified human and swine strains in the same area. S. suis meningitis and sepsis is mainly reported in adults, related to direct contact with pigs or contaminated pork meat consumption, while it is rarely reported in children. Herein, it is described the first case of S. suis in a newborn associated to meningitis and antimicrobial resistance. The rates of resistance to tetracyclines, lincosamides, and macrolides for this bacterium are increasing and are creating concern worldwide. Altogether, our findings highlight the importance of investigating S. suis also in the case of neonatal meningitis, as well as the necessity to assess the antimicrobial profile in order to obtain useful information for developing targeted therapies.
Keywords: Streptococcus suis, Neonatal meningitis, molecular characterization, antimicrobial resistance, Vertical transmission
Received: 29 Oct 2024; Accepted: 03 Jan 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Fusco, Paradiso, Cardillo, Salvia, Del Monaco, Scarpelli, Greco, Rinaldi, Barca, Ambrogio, Limone, De Carlo and Borriello. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Lorena Cardillo, Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Southern Italy (IZSM), Portici, Italy
Maria Antonia Salvia, Azienda Ospedaliera di Cosenza, Unit of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care, Cosenza, Italy
Gianfranco Scarpelli, Azienda Ospedaliera di Cosenza, Unit of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care, Cosenza, Italy
Francesca Greco, Azienda ospedaliera di Cosenza, Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Cosenza, Italy
Stefania Ambrogio, Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Southern Italy (IZSM), Portici, Italy
Antonio Limone, Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Southern Italy (IZSM), Portici, Italy
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