Streptococcus suis Reported in New York Farmer

February 28, 2007 — 
  [ES]

A rare case of Streptococcus suis meningitis has been confirmed in a farmer from upstate New York.

Researchers determined that both the farmer and pigs from his farm were infected with Streptococcus suis, but they did not match the human strain to that found in the pigs. The disease has occasionally affected humans in Europe and North America and people regularly contract the disease in Southeast Asia.

A 2005 outbreak of S. suis in Sichuan province in China resulted in 215 human cases of which 38 died after developing streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. In addition, 647 pigs died. All human infections were associated with direct contact with blood or tissues of sick or dead pigs during slaughter. Person-to-person transmission is highly unlikely. A single strain of S. suis was confirmed as the cause of the outbreak.

Source:
ProMED mail, February 23, 2007

CDC Emerging Infectious Disease, June, 2006