| Sumario: | Streptococcus suis is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis in
Vietnamese adults, and the major risk factors have been identified
as consumption of raw pig blood (Tiet canh), and occupational
exposure to pigs. Previous studies of S. suis prevalence in
pigs sampled from southern Vietnam have indicated very high
levels of commensal infection in tonsil specimens, however there
is relatively little data on prevalence rates of systemic infections
in pigs (as indicated by detection from fresh blood), and prevalence
rates from northern and central Vietnam have yet to be
described. To address these data gaps, we sampled blood from
147 slaughtered pigs in two provinces Hung Yen (North) and
Nghe An (Center) and analyzed for S. suis using PCR (16S- S.
suis and S. suis serotype 2). In addition, we surveyed 406 heads
of household and 51 slaughterhouse workers in these areas to
understand behaviors and attitudes toward consumption of raw
pig blood. A total of 33.3% of 147 pig blood samples tested
positive with S. suis, but only 1.4% (2/147) were positive to S.
suis serotype 2, the serotype most frequently associated with severe
human infections. Fifteen of 406 people interviewed (3.4%)
reported eating ‘Tiet canh’, whereas this rate was significantly
higher at 43.1% (21 of 51) for slaughterhouse workers. These
findings will be discussed in the context of the growing body of
literature on S. suis epidemiology, culinary practices involving
raw or undercooked pig products, and risk mitigation strategies
to minimize disease transmission.
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