Neurological Presentation Associated with Meningoencephalitis Caused by Streptococcus gallolyticus Subsp. pasteurianus in Turkey Poults

The current case report describes two outbreaks of central nervous system signs associated with Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus causing encephalitis and meningitis in poults in the U.S. Midwest. Macroscopic lesions observed at necropsy revealed enlarged and pale spleens as well as blood vessel congestion of the meninges. Histopathological examination revealed moderately severe meningoencephalitis with coccoid bacteria detected within the macrophages and mild heterophilic portal hepatitis. Bacterial identification confirmed S. gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus by matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry and API 20 STREP strips. Antibiotic sensitivity profiles of the two outbreaks were similar and revealed sensitivity to clindamycin, erythromycin, florfenicol, gentamycin, penicillin, and ceftiofur. Genomic comparisons revealed that the two isolates presented here were identical and encoded for a putative collagen adhesin that could be a potential virulence factor.