Molecular characterisation of 'strangles' outbreaks in the UK: the use of M-protein typing of Streptococcus equi ssp. equi.

Abstract

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Strangles is the most commonly diagnosed and important infectious disease of horses worldwide. Very little is known about the temporo-spatial and molecular epidemiology of strangles. The disease is not notifiable in the UK and there are few published data on the geographical locations of outbreaks. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether typing of a surface protein (SeM) of Streptococcus equi ssp. equi (S. equi), the causative agent of strangles, is a useful epidemiological tool. METHODS: The variable region of the SeM gene was amplified from 145 isolates of S. equi by PCR and sequenced. Different SeM gene alleles were assigned based on the SeM database, grouped into ..