Comparison of virulence factors and capsular types of Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from human and bovine infections

• A total of 194 S. agalactiae isolates, 55 isolates from bovines and 139 from humans, were analyzed.
• A more heterogeneity of virulence gene profiles was observed among humans than those in bovine strains.
• The scpB, hly, bca and bac virulence genes were only identified among human isolates.
• The rib gene was the most common virulence gene in both human and bovine isolates.

Streptococcus agalactiae is a leading cause of human and bovine infections. A total of 194 S. agalactiae isolates, 55 isolates from bovines and 139 from humans, were analyzed for capsular types, virulence genes (scpB, hly, rib, bca and bac) and mobile genetic elements (IS1548 and GBSi1) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and multiplex PCR. Capsular type III was predominant (61%), followed by types V, II, Ib, and IV. The scpB, hly, bca and bac virulence genes were only found among human isolates. Twelve and 2 distinct virulence gene profiles were identified among human and bovine isolates respectively. The virulence gene profiles scpB- hly- IS1548- rib-bca (51%) and scpB- hly- IS1548- bca (19%) were only predominant among human isolates. The rib gene was the most common virulence gene in both human and bovine isolates. The study showed a high prevalence of virulence genes in S. agalactiae strains isolated from human infections, these result can support the idea that S. agalactiae isolated from humans and bovines are generally unrelated and probably belonged to separate populations.