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

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.

• Authors: M Upton, P E Carter, G Orange, T H Pennington
• Journal: Journal of clinical microbiology (J Clin Microbiol) Vol. 34 Issue 1 Pg. 196-8 (Jan 1996) ISSN: 0095-1137 [Print] United States
• PMID: 8748303 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• DNA Primers
• DNA, Bacterial
• DNA Restriction Enzymes

Topics

• Bacterial Typing Techniques
• Base Sequence
• Cluster Analysis
• DNA Primers (genetics)
• DNA Restriction Enzymes
• DNA, Bacterial (genetics)
• Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
• Gene Transfer, Horizontal
• Genes, Bacterial
• Genotype
• Humans
• Molecular Epidemiology
• Molecular Sequence Data
• Polymerase Chain Reaction
• Scotland (epidemiology)
• Streptococcal Infections (epidemiology, microbiology)
• Streptococcus pyogenes (classification, genetics, pathogenicity)
• Virulence (genetics)