Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis infection in waterfowl: first confirmation in animals
Emerging Infectious Diseases publish this investigation article
September 1st, 2001
We report the first description, confirmed by bacteriologic and molecular (polymerase chain reaction and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) analysis, of an infection in animals caused by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, affecting waterfowl.
Until recently, members of the genus Lactococcus were considered opportunistic pathogens (1,2). They are often misidentified as enterococci or streptococci (3,4), and the difficulties in correctly identifying them have probably hindered elucidation of their clinical significance. However, the number of clinical cases associated with infections by these microorganisms has increased in the last decade in both humans and animals (5-7). Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, L. piscium, and L. garvieae are recognized as the species with clinical significance for human and veterinary medicine (2,8). In humans, L. garvieae and L. lactis subsp. lactis have been associated with endocarditis (9,10) and have also been isolated from clinical samples of blood, skin lesions, and urine (5,7). In veterinary medicine, L. garvieae and L. piscium are pathogenic for various fish species (8,11,12), and L. garvieae causes mastitis in ruminants (13,14). However, infection by L. lactis subsp. lactis in animals has not previously been reported. We present the first microbiologic and molecular evidence for infection produced by L. lactis subsp. lactis in waterfowl.
Goyache J., Vela AI., Gibello A., Blanco MM., Briones V., Gonzalez S., Tellez S., Ballesteros C., Dominguez L. and Fernandez-Garayzabal JF..
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 | Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
| Servicio de Zoonosis Emergentes, de Baja Prevalencia y Agresivos Biológicos (NED). Servicio de Identificación y Caracterización Microbiana (ICM). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
