TABLE 1.
Overview of streptococci causative of infections in humans and animalsa
| Lancefield group | Hemolysin | Species | Host | Associated disease | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | Beta | S. agalactiae | Human | Sepsis, meningitis, pneumonia, joint and urinary tract infections | 7, 11, 199, 200 |
| Cows, camels, horses, dolphins, fish | Mastitis, joint infection, meningitis, death | ||||
| C | Alpha | S. dysgalactiae subsp. dysgalactiae | Humans | Endocarditis, joint infection, cellulitis | 48, 201, 202 |
| Fish, cows | Tissue necrosis, mastitis | ||||
| Beta | S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis | Humans | STSS, sepsis, soft tissue infections, pneumonia, pharyngitis | 33, 203–210 | |
| Swine, seals, horses | Arthritis, endocarditis, lymphadenitis, joint infection, strangles-like disease, respiratory tract infection | ||||
| Beta | S. equi subsp. equi | Horses | Strangles disease | 32 | |
| Beta | S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus | Humans | Nephritis, STSS | 33 | |
| Sheep, horses | Mastitis, lymphadenitis, joint and respiratory infections, endometritis | 31, 32, 211 | |||
| Beta | S. phocae | Fish, seals | Respiratory infections, abortions, sepsis | 212 | |
| D | S. gallolyticus spp. gallolyticus | Humans | Sepsis, endocarditis, arthritis, meningitis | 213–216 | |
| Koalas, birds | Intestinal colonizer, endocarditis, sepsis | ||||
| S. gallolyticus spp. pasteurianus | Humans | Sepsis, bone and joint infections, meningitis | 21–25 | ||
| Birds | Sepsis, meningitis | ||||
| E | Beta | S. porcinus | Humans | Urinary tract, placenta, and wound infections, sepsis | 27, 28, 217, 218 |
| Swine | Endocarditis, respiratory tract infection, sepsis | ||||
| G | Beta | S. canis | Humans | Skin, soft-tissue and respiratory infections, sepsis | 34, 35, 219, 220 |
| Dogs, cats | Skin, soft-tissue, and urinary tract infections, otitis, arthritis, STSS | ||||
| R | Nonhemolytic/beta | S. suis | Humans | Sepsis, meningitis, endocarditis, STSS | 37, 221–225 |
| Swine, boars, rabbits | Sepsis, meningitis, pneumonia, arthritis | ||||
| Undefined | Beta | S. iniae | Humans | Soft-tissue infection | 48, 49 |
| Dolphins, fish | Abscess, streptococcosis, sepsis | 226–231 | |||
| S. uberis/S. parauberis | Cows, horses | Mastitis | 11, 16, 30, 43 |
a
Isolates belonging to S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis react with antigen G with comparable prevalence of antigen C reaction, whereas reaction with antigens A and L are less common; isolates belonging to S. phocae react also with antigen G; isolates belonging to S. porcinus react also with antigens P, U, and V. Nonhemolytic variant can be recovered among isolates of S. agalactiae and S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis.