On the Trail of Novel Infectious Agents in Wildlife
Published:14 Oct.2020 Source: Forschungsverbund Berlin
The species richness of zoo and wild animals is reflected in the diversity of infectious agents they harbour. However, our knowledge is sparse and pathogen detection remains challenging.
For streptococci, a bacterial family of importance to human and animal health, wildlife research has taken a step forward: A research team led by Kristin Mühldorfer from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) and Tobias Eisenberg from the Hessian State Laboratory investigated the causes of severe respiratory disease in peccaries and taxonomically characterised a novel Streptococcus species (Streptococcus catagoni sp. nov.) based on its phenotypic properties and genetic features. The results, published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, contribute to a better understanding and reliable identification of this novel bacterial species.