Human zoonotic infectious disease caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus

Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (SEZ) is a highly contagious infectious organism that causes disease in horses. SEZ is seldom isolated from humans; however, zoonotic infections are occasionally reported in individuals exposed to horses and other livestock. Herein, we report three human cases of SEZ in individuals, one with direct horse contact and two among individuals who had eaten raw horse meat. The phylogenetic tree showed that the genotypes of SEZ isolates from two of the cases on Jeju Island, South Korea, were similar to those of isolates from the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Automated summary

SEZ is a highly contagious infectious organism that causes disease in horses, and while rarely isolated from humans, zoonotic infections can occur in individuals exposed to horses and other livestock. Genotypes of SEZ isolates from human cases in South Korea were found to be similar to isolates from the United Kingdom and the United States of America.