Green tea polyphenols inhibit growth, pathogenicity and metabolomics profiles of Streptococcus suis.

Streptococcus suis (SS) is an important pathogen in pigs and can also cause severe infection in humans. Currently, more and more drug resistance is reported, resulting in the search for new drugs being needed urgently. Green tea polyphenols (GTP) was reported to inhibit many bacteria. However, SS response to GTP has not been studied before. In this report, the effect of GTP on growth, cell integrity, pathogenicity and metabolic pathway of SS was examined. The GTP inhibited growth, led to cellular damage, and attenuated pathogenicity of SS. Finally, GTP affected many important metabolic pathways of SS, such as ABC transporters, pyrimidine metabolism, protein digestion and absorption. The results provide new insight into the prevention and control of SS infection.