Article Category:
Case Report

Case Report: Streptococcus suis Human Infections among Pork Consumers in Jeju, South Korea: Zoonotic Threats

Eui Tae Kim Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea;

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Sang Taek Heo Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea;
Department of Internal Medicine, Jeju National University Hospital, Jeju, South Korea;

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Jeong Rae Yoo Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea;

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Misun Kim Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea;

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Tae Hyoung Kim Department of Biomedicine & Drug Development, Jeju National University Graduate School, Jeju, South Korea;

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Young Ree Kim Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.24-0201
Volume/Issue:
Volume 111: Issue 6
Page(s):
1243–1246
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ABSTRACT.

Streptococcus suis, a bacterium commonly found in pigs, causes infections in humans through direct contact with infected animals or consumption of contaminated pork products. Recently, a localized outbreak of S. suis infection in humans resulted in three confirmed cases. All three patients had some form of contact with pigs in their medical history. One patient worked at a pig farm, whereas the other two consumed raw pork soup at the same restaurant. The patients were diagnosed with septicemia, subdural empyema, and infectious spondylitis. Streptococcus suis was isolated from their blood. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical features of three patients with S. suis infection and perform a molecular biological analysis of the strains obtained from them. Subsequent investigations highlighted the potential sources for this rare but serious infection and provided insight into preventive measures.

Author Notes

Financial support: This work was supported by a research grant from Jeju National University Hospital in 2023.

Disclosures: The study was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) at the Jeju National University Hospital (IRB file no. 2023-07-010). We obtained written informed consent from patients participating in clinical research.

Authors’ contributions: E. T. Kim: Conceptualization, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, project administration, resources, visualization, and writing (original draft preparation). S. T. Heo: Conceptualization, formal analysis, investigation, funding acquisition, methodology, resources, visualization, and writing (original draft preparation). J. R. Yoo: Conceptualization, investigation, and methodology. M. Kim: Investigation and methodology. T. H. Kim: Investigation and methodology. Y. R. Kim: Resources and investigation and methodology.

Current contact information: Eui Tae Kim, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea, E-mail: tae@jejunu.ac.kr. Sang Taek Heo, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea, E-mail: neosangtaek@naver.com. Jeong Rae Yoo, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea, E-mail: mdyoojr@gmail.com. Misun Kim, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea, E-mail: drkms1016@gmail.com. Tae Hyoung Kim, Department of Biomedicine & Drug Development, Jeju National University Graduate School, Jeju, South Korea, E-mail: ging9637@naver.com. Young Ree Kim, Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea, E-mail: namu8790@jejunu.ac.kr.

Address correspondence to Sang Taek Heo, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Jeju National University, 15, Aran 13 gil, Jeju, Jeju Special-Governing Province 63241, South Korea. E-mail: neosangtaek@naver.com
Copyright:
© American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2024
Received:
27 Mar 2024
|
Accepted:
06 Jul 2024
|
Published Online:
15 Oct 2024
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
Online ISSN:
1476-1645
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