zoonoses and communicable diseases common to ... - PAHO/WHO

STREPTOCOCCOSIS 263Control: Those who work with swine or their by-products should pay attentionto cuts or abrasions and treat them properly to prevent infection by S. suis type 2.As for preventing the disease in swine, there are doubts regarding the efficacy ofthe bacterins used against S. suis. However, many veterinarians and breeders maintainthat they prevent outbreaks of acute illness. Adding penicillin to feed whenpiglets are being weaned early can also control acute disease. The disadvantage isthat penicillin becomes inactive in feed (Fraser et al., 1991). Experimental testsshowed that tiamulin administered in water was effective in reducing the effects ofS. suis type 2 (Chengappa et al., 1990).Prevention of human infection transmitted through milk is achieved primarily bypasteurization. Infected persons should not participate in milking or handling milkor other foods.The prevention of neonatal sepsis has been attempted by active immunization ofpregnant women with capsular polysaccharides of group B streptococci, as well asby passive immunization with immunoglobulin preparations given intravenously.Both immunization methods are in the experimental stage. Promising results havebeen obtained with prophylactic intravenous administration of ampicillin to womenin labor. In this way, a significant level of the antibiotic is obtained in the amnioticfluid and in samples of the umbilical cord. Among the newborns of obstetric patientsreceiving this treatment, only 2.8% were colonized by group B streptococci andnone became ill, while in the control group, 35.9% of the newborns were colonizedand four developed the early-onset syndrome (Fischer et al., 1983).To reduce the prevalence of mastitis caused by S. agalactiae in dairy herds, cowstesting positive to the California Mastitis Test (CMT) are treated with penicillin byextramammary infusion. However, this procedure does not eradicate the infection,probably because of reinfection. Application of antiseptic creams to teat lesions canhelp to prevent mastitis caused by S. dysgalactiae and S. zooepidemicus. Bacterinshave been tried for preventing equine strangles caused by S. equi. Although theyconfer satisfactory immunity, they produce a local and systemic reaction (Timoneyet al., 1988).BibliographyArends, J.P., H.C. Zanen. Meningitis caused by Streptococcus suis in humans. Rev InfectDis 10:131–137, 1988.Barrett, N.J. Communicable disease associated with milk and dairy products in Englandand Wales: 1983–1984. J Infect 12:265–272, 1986.Benenson, A.S., ed. Control of Communicable Diseases in Man. 15th ed. An official reportof the American Public Health Association. Washington, D.C.: American Public HealthAssociation; 1990.Berglez, I. Comparative studies of some biochemical properties of human and bovineStreptococcus agalactiae strains. Zbl Bakt Hyg I Abst Orig 173:457–463, 1981.Boetner, A.G., M. Binder, V. Bille-Hansen. Streptococcus suis infections in Danish pigs andexperimental infection with Streptococcus suis serotype 7. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand [B]95:233–239, 1987.Chengappa, M.M., L.W. Pace, J.A. Williams, et al. Efficacy of tiamulin against experimentallyinduced Streptococcus suis type 2-infection in swine. J Am Vet Med Assoc197:1467–1470, 1990.