Abstract
To explain the worldwide increase in the frequency of severe infections by group A streptococci, molecular techniques are increasingly being employed to evaluate the genetic relationships of strains. We used restriction endonuclease analysis, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), the PCR, ribotyping, and DNA sequence analysis in a study of 13 group A streptococci isolated from a cluster of cases of serious infections over a 3-month period in Tayside, Scotland. Eight of the strains were M type 3; molecular characterization identified two subclones. The first, displaying PFGE profile 4, has been observed in Northern Scotland and has been circulating in New Zealand for over a decade. The second subclone has been documented only in the United Kingdom; it was first seen in 1993 in Scotland. Sequence analysis of emm-3 genes further differentiated the PFGE 4 subclone. DNA sequence analysis of virulence factors supports the suggestion that they may have recently been acquired by horizontal gene transfer.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 196-198 |
Number of pages | 0 |
Journal | J Clin Microbiol |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 1996 |
Keywords
- Bacterial Typing Techniques
- Base Sequence
- Cluster Analysis
- DNA Primers
- DNA Restriction Enzymes
- DNA
- Bacterial
- Electrophoresis
- Gel
- Pulsed-Field
- Gene Transfer
- Horizontal
- Genes
- Genotype
- Humans
- Molecular Epidemiology
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Scotland
- Streptococcal Infections
- Streptococcus pyogenes
- Virulence