9 March 2013
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (March 9) investigating a fatal case of confirmed infection by Streptococcus suis (a kind of bacteria isolated from pigs).
The patient is a 85-year-old man with an underlying medical condition. He developed fever and vomiting on March 2 and was admitted to Kwong Wah Hospital on March 3. He was diagnosed to have septicaemia. His condition deteriorated on March 4. He was transferred to intensive care unit on the same day and passed away a few hours later.
His blood grew Streptococcus suis.
A CHP spokesman said the patient had no recent travel history. His home contact did not have any symptoms.
This is the first case of Streptococcus suis infection reported this year.
The spokesman said Streptococcus suis infection may present as meningitis (inflammation of the membrane enclosing the brain), septicaemia (bloodstream infection), and less commonly endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart chambers), arthritis and bronchopneumonia (a kind of lung infection involving the bronchioles). Streptococcus suis infection can be treated with appropriate antibiotics.
To prevent the disease, members of the public are advised to always practise personal and environmental hygiene. They should avoid contact with pigs that are sick or dead from diseases and their excreta or body fluid. If contact with pigs or raw pork is necessary, one should:
* Use protective gloves;
* Wash hands after handling pigs or raw pork; and
* Clean and cover all wounds properly.
Members of the public with suspected symptoms should consult their doctors as soon as possible and report their relevant exposure histories.
They can obtain more information on Streptococcus suis from the CHP website ( www.chp.gov.hk ).