Genetic heterogeneity of M type 3 group A streptococci causing severe infections in Tayside, Scotland.

Mathew Upton, Philip E. Carter, Gillian Orange, T. Hugh Pennington*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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 languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)196-198
Number of pages0
JournalJ Clin Microbiol
Volume34
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 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

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