PLoS ONE (Jan 2019)

Risk factors for the carriage of Streptococcus infantarius subspecies infantarius isolated from African fermented dairy products.

  • Kossia D T Gboko,
  • Sylvain G Traoré,
  • Aimé R Sanhoun,
  • Jérôme Kirioua,
  • Nize Otaru,
  • Fabienne Kurt,
  • Fabienne N Jaeger,
  • Julia Isenring,
  • Dasel W M Kaindi,
  • Bernd Kreikemeyer,
  • Pierre Renault,
  • Jan Hattendorf,
  • Leo Meile,
  • Christoph Jans,
  • Roland Nguetta,
  • Bassirou Bonfoh

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225452
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 11
p. e0225452

Abstract

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Streptococcus infantarius subsp. infantarius (Sii) has been identified as predominant lactic acid bacteria in spontaneously fermented dairy products (FDPs) in sub-Saharan Africa including Côte d'Ivoire. However, Sii belongs to the Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equinus complex (SBSEC). Most SBSEC members are assumed to be involved as opportunistic pathogens in serious diseases in both humans and animals. A population-based cross-sectional survey, including 385 participants was conducted in Korhogo, northern Côte d'Ivoire, to identify risk factors for Sii fecal carriage, including consumption of local FDPs. A structured questionnaire was used to gather participant's socio-demographic and economic characteristics, their relation to livestock and dietary habits. In addition, fresh stool and milk samples were collected. The identification of Sii was done using a SBSEC-specific PCR assay targeting 16S rRNA and groEL genes. The overall prevalence of SBSEC and Sii carriage was 23.2% (confidence interval CI 95% = 18.9-27.5) and 12.0% (CI 95% = 8.4-15.5) for stool, respectively. Prevalence of Sii was significantly higher in consumers of artisanal butter compared with non-consumers (57.1% vs 10.1%, odds ratio OR: 11.9, 95% CI: 3.9-36.6), as well as in persons handling livestock (OR = 3.9; 95% CI = 1.6-9.3) and livestock primary products (OR = 5.7; 95% CI = 2.3-14.3). The closer contact with livestock was a risk factor for Sii fecal carriage. Sii strains were isolated from fresh and fermented milk products with a prevalence of 30.4% and 45.4%, respectively. Analysis of Sii population structure through the SBSEC multi locus sequence typing assay revealed a close relationship across human and dairy isolates, possibly linked to a Kenyan human isolate. All these outcomes underline the interest of in-depth investigations on the ecology, potential reservoirs and pathways of contamination by Sii at the human-animal-environment interface in comparison to yet to be collected data from Europe, Asia and the Americas to further elucidate the various roles of Sii.