The serotypes of Streptococcus pyogenes present in Britain during 1980-1990 and their association with disease

Abstract

Summary.A total of 16 909 cultures of Streptococcus pyogenes (Lancefield group A) isolated in Britain during 1980-90 were examined for T-and M-protein antigens. One or other M antigen was detected in 92.6 % of the strains. The numbers of isolates of some serotypes, such as M3 and M12, did not show great variation from year-to-year, whereas there were nationwide epidemics, extending over several years, caused by strains of serotypes M1 and M49. Isolates of serotypes M1 and M3 were associated particularly with invasive disease and fatal infections. Representatives of serotypes M80, M81 and the provisional types PT180, PT1658 and PT5757 were isolated most often from cases of pyoderma. Erythromycin resistance was detected in 30 serotypes but one half of all of the resistant isolates belonged to serotype M4.

Evolutionary pathway to increased virulence and epidemic group A Streptococcus disease derived from 3,615 genome sequences

“…This organism has a longrecognized proclivity to cause epidemic waves, the reasons for which are largely unknown. After several decades of declining incidence, a striking resurgence of severe invasive infections caused by serotype Emm protein 1 (M1) GAS was reported in many countries in the late 1980s and early 1990s (1)(2)(3)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20). The resurgence received widespread public interest in part because of the untimely death of Jim Henson, the Muppeteer, of invasive GAS, and because of severe infections occurring in other notable public figures in Canada and elsewhere (21).…”

“…Group A Streptococcus (GAS, also known as Streptococcus pyogenes), a Gram-positive bacterial pathogen, causes human infections worldwide (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20). For example, GAS is responsible for more than 600 million infections globally each year, including a conservative estimate of 10,000-15,000 severe invasive infections annually in the United States (4).…”

Host–pathogen interactions in Streptococcus pyogenes infections, with special reference to puerperal fever and a comment on vaccine development

“…Virtually nothing is known about molecular mechanisms in puerperal fever, but an epidemiological study in Britain showed that the surface protein R28 was common among S. pyogenes strains isolated from recent outbreaks of puerperal fever, but was found in only a minority of pharyngitis strains [23]. This over-representation of R28-expressing strains among puerperal fever isolates led us to hypothesize that the R28 protein played an important role in the epidemics of puerperal fever [24].…”

Toward a Genome-Wide Systems Biology Analysis of Host-Pathogen Interactions in Group A Streptococcus

“…GAS is an ideal pathogen to investigate this topic because the organism undergoes rapid changes in disease frequency and severity caused by strains expressing certain M protein serotypes. 35 We conducted a molecular genetic dissection of two epidemic waves by using multipronged approach that involved sequencing the genome of a relevant strain, performing functional analysis of novel extracellular proteins encoded by the genome, and then using comparative genomic analysis of the strains. 49 To initiate this line of investigation, the genome of a strain isolated from a patient with invasive disease was sequenced.…”