Skip to main content

Streptococcus equi subsp.

Case study from Dr. Matheus Costa, UMN in collaboration with Dr. Brad Lage, Maple Leaf Agri-Farms and originally posted on the UMN Swine in Minnesota blog.


Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) is considered a commensal and opportunistic pathogen of several warm-blooded hosts, including humans, horses, different canines and swine. It can cause severe disease characterized by pneumonia, septicemia and meningitis (1, 2). S. zooepidemicus has been suggested as a normal inhabitant of the palatine tonsils of pigs, being detected by both culture and high-throughput sequencing in samples collected from healthy animals (3). However, strains virulent to pigs have also been reported in the literature, particularly associated with high-mortality outbreaks of sudden death and respiratory disease in China (4).

In April 2019 an outbreak of sudden death and abortions occurred in 4 loose-housed, commercial sow farms (approximately 9000 sows) in a large vertically integrated swine system within the Canadian province of Manitoba.

Continue reading case study on UMN Swine in Minnesota blog.
Print Friendly and PDF

Comments