Pig-borne disease most likely jumped into humans when rearing practices changed
Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - 04:20
in Health & Medicine
Almost every pig carries harmless strains of the S. suis bacterium - such strains are known as 'commensal' strains. However, a more virulent group of strains of the bacteria also exist, which cause disease in pigs worldwide and are a major driver of antibiotic use for prevention. Increasingly, this group of strains is also implicated in serious human diseases such as meningitis and septicaemia.