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Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Veterinary bacteriology: information about important bacteria
Veterinary bacteriology


Species/Subspecies: Streptococcus equi subsp. equi
Categories: Causes hemolysis; notifiable diseases and bacteria
Etymology: Genus name: twisted (like a chain) coccus (coccus means a grain or a berry and referrs to any spherical microorganism)
Species epithet: of horse
Subspecies epithet: see Species epithet.
Significance:  [Very important]   
Alternative Species Name(s):Streptococcus equi
Taxonomy:
Phylum
Bacillota
Class
Bacilli
Order
Lactobacillales
Family
Streptococcaceae 
Genus
Streptococcus
Type Strain: ATCC 33398 = CCUG 23255 = NCTC 9682.
Macromorphology (smell):
   
Small (about 1 mm in diameter) transluscent colonies after incubation for 24 h at 37°C on blood agar. Give (clear) beta-hemolysis on blood agar.
Micromorphology: Nonmotile cocci (0.6-1.0 µm) in chains or pairs.
Gram +/Gram -:
 
G+
Metabolism: Facultatively anaerobic
Catalase/Oxidase:-/-
Other Enzymes: Esculinase v, hippuricase -, coagulase -, urease -
Biochemical Tests: Voges-Proskauer -
Fermentation of carbohydrates:
D-glucose
+
lactose
-
maltose
+
L-rhamnose
?
sucrose
+
L-arabinose
-
cellobiose
?
D-mannitol
-
salicin
+
trehalose
-
glycerol
-
inulin
-
raffinose
-
D-sorbitol
-
starch
+
Other carbohydrates: amygdalin ?, ribose -
Spec. Char.:
Special Media:
Streptococcus equi  
Purple agar with lactose can be used to differentiate S. equi subsp. equi, which is not fermenting lactose, from S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus, which is a lactose fermenter.
Disease:
 
HostsDiseaseClinical picture
HorseStranglesInfection of upper respiratory tracts (purulent rhinitis), fever, cough, enlarged regional lymph nodes (purulent/abscessing lymphadenitis) which press on the airways, making it difficult for the horse to breathe, which has given rise to the name of the disease (strangles).
Genome Sequence:
Acc-noStrainSize (bp)Genome
NC_012471 4047 2 253 793 

16S rRNA Seq.:
Acc-noStrainNumber of NTOperonSequence similarity
EF406032 ATCC 33398T 1 475 100% 

Taxonomy/phylogeny:
 
About 100 species have been described within the genus Streptococcus. Many species within the genus Enterococcus have earlier been classified as streptococci and, thus, they are closely related. S. equi consists of three subspecies which are related to S. devriesei.
Legislation: In Sweden strangles is notifiable to the Swedish Board of Agriculture.
Comment:Belongs to Lancefield's group C streptcocci.
Reference(s): No. 28
Updated:2023-03-08

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