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Streptococcus: Biology, Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Evolution

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A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanism and Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 July 2024 | Viewed by 4788

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Tatiana Castro Abreu Pinto

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Guest Editor

Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Goes, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
Interests: Streptococcus spp.; antimicrobial resistance; pediatric and perinatal bacterial infections; One Health; bacterial vaccines; molecular typing

Prof. Dr. Felipe Piedade Gonçalves Neves

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Guest Editor

Instituto Biomédico, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói 24020-150, RJ, Brazil
Interests: Streptococcus spp.; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Enterococcus spp.; antimicrobial resistance; CRISPR; molecular typing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Streptococci are Gram-positive, catalase-negative cocci of major importance in human and veterinary medicine. From an ecological point of view, these microorganisms are quite heterogeneous, as they are found in different environments. Certain streptococcal species show a high degree of host and disease specificity, while others can cause a wide array of different pathologies in distinct hosts. Many species are part of the human microbiota, particularly in the upper airways and the intestinal tract. Some species are recognized as classical pathogens for humans and/or other animals, while others are typically opportunistic. Some of these opportunists, however, are becoming increasingly important, especially due to their ability to acquire new mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance. Streptococcal species are also emerging in the One Health context, and some of them have been associated with zoonotic infections. The increasing relevance of streptococci in new and reemerging diseases as well as in antimicrobial resistance has boosted many initiatives for vaccine development. Elucidating aspects of the biology, pathogenesis, and evolution of streptococci, especially using novel genomic and proteomic approaches, will help us to better understand this complex group of microorganisms and lead to improved measures to prevent and control streptococcal infections.

Prof. Dr. Tatiana Castro Abreu Pinto
Prof. Dr. Felipe Piedade Gonçalves Neves
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antibiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

pathogenesis
biology
evolution
antimicrobial resistance
virulence
epidemiology
molecular typing

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1553 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Streptococcus pyogenes Lineage ST62/emm87: The International Spread of This Potentially Invasive Lineage

by Caroline Lopes Martini, Deborah Nascimento Santos Silva, Alice Slotfeldt Viana, Paul Joseph Planet, Agnes Marie Sá Figueiredo and Bernadete Teixeira Ferreira-Carvalho

Antibiotics 2023, 12(10), 1530; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12101530 - 11 Oct 2023

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Abstract

Streptococcus pyogenes is known to be associated with a variety of infections, from pharyngitis to necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease). S. pyogenes of the ST62/emm87 lineage is recognized as one of the most frequently isolated lineages of invasive infections caused by this bacterium, which may be involved in hospital outbreaks and cluster infections. Despite this, comparative genomic and phylogenomic studies have not yet been carried out for this lineage. Thus, its virulence and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles are mostly unknown, as are the genetic relationships and evolutionary traits involving this lineage. Previously, a strain of S. pyogenes ST62/emm87 (37–97) was characterized in our lab for its ability to generate antibiotic-persistent cells, and therapeutic failure in severe invasive infections caused by this bacterial species is well-reported in the scientific literature. In this work, we analyzed genomic and phylogenomic characteristics and evaluated the virulence and resistance profiles of ST62/emm87 S. pyogenes from Brazil and international sources. Here we show that strains that form this lineage (ST62/emm87) are internationally spread, involved in invasive outbreaks, and share important virulence profiles with the most common emm types of S. pyogenes, such as emm1, emm3, emm12, and emm69, which are associated with most invasive infections caused by this bacterial species in the USA and Europe. Accordingly, the continued increase of ST62/emm87 in severe S. pyogenes diseases should not be underestimated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Streptococcus: Biology, Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Evolution)

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10 pages, 271 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Clinical Features, Antibiotic Susceptibilities, and Outcomes of Endophthalmitis Caused by Streptococcal Infection: Children vs. Adults

by Yao Yang, Yuenying Wong, Yujie Li, Fang Duan, Xinqi Ma, Hiufong Wong, Rongsha Sun, Jieting Zeng, Manli Liu, Zhaohui Yuan and Xiaofeng Lin

Antibiotics 2023, 12(6), 962; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics12060962 - 25 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1215

Abstract

Streptococcus spp. are common causative organisms of endophthalmitis. Analysis of the clinical features, antibiotic susceptibilities, and outcomes of streptococcal endophthalmitis in children and adults may guide future management. Sixty-seven patients (67 eyes) with streptococcal endophthalmitis who were admitted to the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center between January 2013 and December 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age was 20.7 ± 21.6 years, and 59.7% were children. Streptococcal infection accounted for 13.9% of culture-proven bacterial endophthalmitis cases; the proportion was higher in children than in adults (32.3% vs. 7.6%, p < 0.01) and increased from 8.1% in 2013–2017 to 20.1% in 2018–2022 (p < 0.01). Eye trauma was the most common etiology in both children and adults (82.5% and 66.7%, respectively). Viridans group streptococci were the most common isolates, followed by S. pneumoniae. The susceptibility rates of the streptococci to vancomycin, cefuroxime, and levofloxacin were 100%, 95.5%, and 93.0%, respectively. The overall mean best-corrected visual acuity increased from 2.74 ± 0.19 logMAR initially to 2.32 ± 0.75 logMAR at the last follow-up (p < 0.05). In conclusion, streptococcal infections have increased in cases of bacterial endophthalmitis in recent years and are more common in children. The commonly used antibiotics, vancomycin, cefuroxime, and fluoroquinolone, showed higher antibiotic susceptibility. After prompt treatment, visual outcomes improved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Streptococcus: Biology, Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Evolution)

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8 pages, 548 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

Anovaginal Colonization by Group B Streptococcus and Streptococcus anginosus among Pregnant Women in Brazil and Its Association with Clinical Features

by Natalia Silva Costa, Laura Maria Andrade Oliveira, Andre Rio-Tinto, Isabella Bittencourt Ferreira Pinto, Ana Elisa Almeida Santos Oliveira, Julia de Deus Santana, Laiane Ferreira Santos, Rayssa Santos Nogueira Costa, Penelope Saldanha Marinho, Sergio Eduardo Longo Fracalanzza, Lucia Martins Teixeira and Tatiana Castro Abreu Pinto

Antibiotics 2024, 13(1), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics13010085 - 16 Jan 2024

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Abstract

Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus; GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal invasive disease worldwide. GBS can colonize the human gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts, and the anovaginal colonization of pregnant women is the main source for neonatal infection. Streptococcus anginosus, in turn, can colonize the human upper respiratory, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary tracts but has rarely been observed causing disease. However, in the last years, S. anginosus has been increasingly associated with human infections, mainly in the bloodstream and gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. Although anovaginal screening for GBS is common during pregnancy, data regarding the anovaginal colonization of pregnant women by S. anginosus are still scarce. Here, we show that during the assessment of anovaginal GBS colonization rates among pregnant women living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, S. anginosus was also commonly detected, and S. anginosus isolates presented a similar colony morphology and color pattern to GBS in chromogenic media. GBS was detected in 48 (12%) while S. anginosus was detected in 17 (4.3%) of the 399 anovaginal samples analyzed. The use of antibiotics during pregnancy and history of urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections were associated with the presence of S. anginosus. In turn, previous preterm birth was associated with the presence of GBS (p < 0.05). The correlation of GBS and S. anginosus with relevant clinical features of pregnant women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, highlights the need for the further investigation of these important bacteria in relation to this special population. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Streptococcus: Biology, Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Evolution)

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