Characterization of Streptococcus canis strains isolated from companion animals

• Grant number: 23/12056-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2023
• End date: October 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Andrea Micke Moreno
• Grantee: Jéssica Lima Roio
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The genus Streptococcus includes commensal microorganisms, pathogens and opportunistic pathogens for humans and animals. Streptococcus canis is the most common Streptococcus species in dogs, causing a wide spectrum of infections, including external otitis, dermatitis, respiratory and urogenital tract infections, endocarditis, and septicemia; in addition, in newborn puppies, it can cause necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. In cats, S. canis is responsible for pyogenic infections, and the bacterium has been isolated from skin ulcerations, urogenital and upper respiratory tract infections, arthritis, sinusitis, meningitis, necrotizing fasciitis, and neonatal septicemia. Several classes of antimicrobials are used to treat animals for streptococcal infections. First-line treatments are penicillins, macrolides and lincosamides, fluoroquinolones, and tetracyclines. Due to the selective role of antibiotics, resistance phenotypes have been reported in streptococci isolated from animals worldwide. The present study aims to characterize a group of S. canis strains isolated from dogs and cats in terms of resistance profile and characterization of M-type protein (SCM) coding alleles and characterization by AFLP. From the results obtained, it is expected to have greater knowledge about the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of this pathogen in our environment.