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Investigation of extramammary sources of Group B Streptococcus reveals its unusual ecology and epidemiology in camels
- Source :
- PLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 12, p e0252973 (2021), PLoS ONE
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2021.
-
Abstract
- Camels are vital to food production in the drylands of the Horn of Africa, with milk as their main contribution to food security. A major constraint to camel milk production is mastitis, inflammation of the mammary gland. The condition negatively impacts milk yield and quality as well as household income. A leading cause of mastitis in dairy camels is Streptococcus agalactiae, or group B Streptococcus (GBS), which is also a commensal and pathogen of humans and cattle. It has been suggested that extramammary reservoirs for this pathogen may contribute to the occurrence of mastitis in camels. We explored the molecular epidemiology of GBS in camels using a cross-sectional study design for sample collection and phenotypic, genomic and phylogenetic analysis of isolates. Among 88 adult camels and 93 calves from six herds in Laikipia County, Kenya, GBS was detected in 20% of 50 milk samples, 25% of 152 nasal swabs, 8% of 90 oral swabs and 3% of 90 rectal swabs, but not in vaginal swabs. Per camel herd, two to four sequence types (ST) were identified using Multi Locus Sequence Typing (MLST). More than half of the isolates belonged to ST617 or its single-locus variant, ST1652, with these STs found across all sample types. Capsular serotype VI was detected in 30 of 58 isolates. In three herds, identical STs were detected in milk and swab samples, suggesting that extramammary sources of GBS may contribute to the maintenance and spread of GBS within camel herds. This needs to be considered when developing prevention and control strategies for GBS mastitis. The high nasal carriage rate, low recto-vaginal carriage rate, and high prevalence of serotype VI for GBS in camels are in stark contrast to the distribution of GBS in humans and in cattle and reveal hitherto unknown ecological and molecular features of this bacterial species.
- Subjects :
- Male
Serotype
Physiology
Maternal Health
Respiratory System
Lactose
Mastitis
Disaccharides
medicine.disease_cause
Epithelium
Camels
Antibiotics
Medicine and Health Sciences
Mammals
Multidisciplinary
Organic Compounds
Antimicrobials
Ecology
Eukaryota
Drugs
Ruminants
Clinical Science
Body Fluids
Chemistry
Milk
Tetracyclines
Vertebrates
Physical Sciences
Medicine
Female
Sample collection
Anatomy
Research Article
endocrine system
Camelus
Science
Carbohydrates
Biology
Microbiology
Streptococcus agalactiae
Beverages
Mammary Glands, Animal
Mucous Membranes
Bovines
Microbial Control
Streptococcal Infections
Camel milk
medicine
Animals
Humans
Nutrition
Pharmacology
Molecular epidemiology
Organic Chemistry
Organisms
Rectum
Chemical Compounds
Biology and Life Sciences
medicine.disease
Kenya
Diet
Gastrointestinal Tract
Nasal Mucosa
Biological Tissue
Amniotes
Herd
Women's Health
Multilocus sequence typing
Cattle
Zoology
Digestive System
Multilocus Sequence Typing
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19326203
- Volume :
- 16
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLOS ONE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....c3e07b786e1a84d53082bc6784bd7ce0