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.
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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)
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Chemical References |
- DNA Primers
- DNA, Bacterial
- DNA Restriction Enzymes
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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)
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