Evidence of a novel sublineage of Streptococcus agalactiae in elephants from zoo populations in Germany
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Streptococcus agalactiae research primarily centres on investigating human and bovine infections, although this pathogen also can be carried and cause infections in a wider range of animal species. Moreover, infections with S. agalactiae are posing significant health implications, and recent studies furthermore are highlighting a potential zoonotic risk. Despite the relatively frequent isolation of S. agalactiae from elephants, only a few reports document infections in wild and zoo populations. We performed a comparative genomic analysis of 24 elephant isolates from three different zoos in Germany to achieve a comprehensive characterization. Elephant isolates showed pronounced phylogenetic divergence from isolates of other host species, while also forming clusters based on zoo of origin and their genotypes (MLST profiles). Capsular serotypes could not be predicted for the majority of the isolates (n=20/24). Several genes, exclusively associated with the elephant host, may underlie the pathogen's capacity to improve its survival and virulence across varied ecological niches. This study not only deepens our understanding of S. agalactiae across diverse species and environments but also represents the first whole-genome sequencing characterization of S. agalactiae isolates from elephants, helping to expand our knowledge about infections in animals.
Date Issued
2025-09-04
Date Acceptance
2025-08-03
Citation
Microbial Genomics, 2025, 11 (9)
ISSN
2057-5858
Publisher
Microbiology Society
Journal / Book Title
Microbial Genomics
Volume
11
Issue
9
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Authors This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40906522
Subjects
Animals
Animals, Zoo
Elephants
Genome, Bacterial
Genotype
Germany
Multilocus Sequence Typing
Phylogeny
Streptococcal Infections
Streptococcus agalactiae
Whole Genome Sequencing
capsule typing
elephants
MLST
penicillin-binding proteins
prophage regions
Streptococcus agalactiae
virulence
whole-genome sequencing
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Article Number
001489
Date Publish Online
2025-09-04