Open AccessLactococcus garvieae infections in humans: possible association with aquaculture outbreaks
Author(s) -
Wang CY C.,
Shie HS,
Chen SC,
Huang JP,
Hsieh IC,
Wen MS,
Lin FC,
Wu D.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
international journal of clinical practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1742-1241
pISSN - 1368-5031
DOI - 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2006.00855.x
Subject(s) - outbreak , aquaculture , pathogen , medicine , virulence , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , virology , immunology , fish <actinopterygii> , fishery , gene , biochemistry
Summary Lactococcus garvieae is an important pathogen in aquaculture, outbreaks of which significantly affect production. It is a rare pathogen with a low virulence in human infection. The relation between the aquaculture outbreak and the human infection has not been clarified. Prospective and retrospective epidemiologic surveillance of the four patients with L. garvieae infection between 2000 and 2003 and their relations to the aquaculture outbreaks of L. garvieae were conducted. All the four patients with L. garvieae infection were associated with gastrointestinal disorders. Three of the four patients gave a history of consuming raw fish and in three of the four patients, the infection occurred in summer between June and August while there is a decrease of fisheries production and an increase in L. garvieae infection in aquaculture farms. There was a 100% identity of 16S rDNA sequence of L. garvieae isolates from patient 1 and from the squid muscle obtained from the restaurant where patient 1 consumed the raw fish. Sporadic occurrence of L. garvieae infection in human appears to correlate with the seasonal aquaculture outbreaks of L. garvieae infection. The presence of gastro‐intestinal disorder may facilitate L. garvieae infection.