Genomic epidemiological investigation of a Streptococcus suis outbreak in Guangxi, China, 2016

In June 2016, a Streptococcus suis outbreak occurred in Guangxi, China. We determined the genetic characteristics of six clinically isolated strains by serotyping, PCR, and whole-genome sequencing, performing genome epidemiology analysis on these and 961 public available S. suis genomes. We also classified the first sequence type ST665 human case. Sporadic and outbreak cases were distinguished by whole-genome sequencing and phylogenomics. This approach could help to prevent and control S. suis epidemics in Guangxi and the wider region.