Novel Genotype of Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis Associated with Mastitis in an Arabian Filly: Genomic Approaches and Phenotypic Properties.

Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (Sde) is a commensal bacterium of horses that causes opportunistic infections. The aim of the work was to study genotypic and phenotypic properties of the Sde strain related to equine neonatal mastitis. Sde was isolated from an 8 day-old filly and sequenced for genome analysis, antibiotic susceptibility tests and virulence factor (VF) assays. The Sde strain presented the novel emm-subtype stC839.12 and the novel multilocus-sequence type ST-670, which belonged to a specific equine genotype group. Although no specific genotypic mechanisms related to antibiotic resistance were found, it presented genes encoding efflux pumps and transporters pmrA, bmrC and lmrP. Genes encoding several putative VFs including emm, cpa, fbp-2, adcA, hyl, htrA, tig, slo, and ndk and loci-encoding phosphoenolpyruvate-protein phosphotransferase systems were identified. This is the first report of an equine neonatal mastitis case caused by a novel genotype and horse specific Sde strain.

Exposure to Anthropogenic Areas May Influence Colonization by Zoonotic Microorganisms in Scavenging Birds.

Wild bird species have commonly been implicated as potential vectors of pathogens to other species, humans included. However, the habitat where birds live could influence the probability to acquire these pathogens. Here, we evaluated if the characteristics of the environment used by obligate scavenging birds (vultures) influence their colonization by zoonotic pathogens. For this, we particularly focused on Salmonella spp., a zoonotic pathogen commonly present in bird species. The occurrence of this bacteria was evaluated in free ranging Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) using natural environments from Argentina and compared with those obtained from condors under human care. In addition, we compared our results with those reported for other wild vultures using natural and anthropized environments at a global scale. We did not find Salmonella spp. in samples of wild condors. Captive condor samples presented Salmonella spp. with an occurrence of 2.8%, and one isolate of Meticilin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, among other potential pathogenic microorganisms. Moreover, some species of free ranging vultures from diverse geographical areas using anthropized environments tend to present higher occurrences of Salmonella spp. These results highlight the importance of pristine ecosystems to protect vultures' health toward pathogenic microorganisms that can produce disease in these birds, but also in other species. We call for more studies evaluating differences in occurrence of zoonotic pathogens in vultures according to the quality of the environment they use. Even when vultures have not been implicated in zoonotic pathogen spread, our results add information to evaluate potential events of pathogen spillover between vultures and from these birds to other species.