Superantigens are important virulence factors in the pathogenesis of invasive disease caused by group A streptococcus (GAS). There has been a recent re-emergence of this disease worldwide. A number of novel superantigens have been described recently. This study investigated 107 isolates of GAS for possession of each of the 11 currently known superantigen genes to determine the prevalence, co-occurrence and genetic restriction amongst different emm types of GAS. The results were compared with those in previously published studies. Superantigen genes were not randomly distributed amongst GAS isolates. Certain combinations of superantigen genes were more common and the majority of emm types showed restricted superantigen profiles. This is the first prevalence study of GAS isolates to include the complete range of known superantigen genes and their restriction amongst emm types. This study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between superantigen genes and emm types, and highlights the importance of comprehensive studies in different populations.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.2008/001156-0 | DOI Listing |
Infect Immun
January 2025
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
is a predominant cause of post-operative surgical site infections and persistent bacteremia. Here, we describe a patient who experienced three episodes of infection over a period of 4 months following a total knee arthroplasty. The initial bloodstream isolate (SAB-0429) was a clonal complex 5 (CC5) and methicillin-resistant (MRSA), whereas two subsequent isolates (SAB-0485 and SAB-0495) were CC5 isolates but methicillin-sensitive .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobiol Immunol
January 2025
Department of Bacteriology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (Ypt) is a gram-negative bacterium that infects both humans and animals primarily through fecal‒oral transmission. While Ypt causes acute gastroenteritis in humans, an association with Kawasaki disease (KD), a disease that primarily affects infants and young children and causes multisystemic vasculitis, has also been suspected. Although KD represents a significant health concern worldwide, the highest annual incidence rate is reported in Japan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
December 2024
Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi state, MS, 39762, USA.
The production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-free recombinant proteins from culture supernatants is of great interest to biomedical research and industry. Due to the LPS-free cell wall structure and the well-defined secretion factor B (SecB)-dependent secretion pathway, Gram-positive bacteria are a superior alternative to Escherichia coli expression systems. However, the lack of inducible expression systems for high yields has been a bottleneck.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathogens
November 2024
Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4067, Australia.
(Group A , GAS) is a human-restricted pathogen that causes a wide range of diseases from pharyngitis and scarlet fever to more severe, invasive infections such as necrotising fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. There has been a global increase in both scarlet fever and invasive infections during the COVID-19 post-pandemic period. The aim of this study was the molecular characterisation of 17 invasive and non-invasive clinical non-1 GAS isolates from an Australian tertiary hospital collected between 2021 and 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Invest
November 2024
Rosalind Russell and Ephraim P. Engleman Rheumatology Research Center, Department of Medicine.
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