The importance of microbiology reference laboratories and adequate funding for infectious disease surveillance.

Microbiology reference laboratories perform a crucial role within public health systems. This role was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Viewpoint, we emphasise the importance of microbiology reference laboratories and highlight the types of digital data and expertise they provide, which benefit national and international public health.

Invasive group A streptococcal infections as a consequence of coexisting or previous viral infection in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period.

Background: Group A Streptococci (GAS) may cause infections of the pharynx and soft tissues and invasive infections in children (iGAS). A significant increase in severe iGAS infections has been reported in Europe since the fall of 2022.

Objectives: This retrospective study aims to analyse clinical data of children with invasive and non-invasive GAS infections in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, searching for predisposing factors to developing invasive infections.

Comparative in vitro efficacy of AR-12 derivatives against Streptococcus pyogenes.

Objectives: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) results in invasive diseases. Our published studies show that AR-12 can directly kill GAS. However, AR-12 is toxic to the human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1 cells) even at its MIC.

Necrotizing Fasciitis and Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome: A Case Report.

Group A (GAS), particularly (), is a significant human pathogen responsible for infections often ranging from mild superficial conditions to severe, life-threatening diseases like necrotizing fasciitis (NF) and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). This case report details the rapid deterioration of a previously healthy 49-year-old woman who presented with localized symptoms in her left thigh, later escalating to septic shock and multi-organ failure related to GAS infection. Initial evaluations indicated significant inflammation and acute kidney injury, prompting broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment.

Bioprospecting secondary metabolites with antimicrobial properties from soil bacteria in high-temperature ecosystems.

Background: The ongoing emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens necessitate urgent solutions. Natural products from bacterial sources are recognized as a promising source of antibiotics. This study aimed to isolate and characterize soil microorganisms from extremely hot environments and to screen their secondary metabolites for antibacterial activity.

Prevalence and Predictors of Concomitant Bacterial Infections in Patients With Respiratory Viruses in Ontario: A Cohort Study.

Background: To investigate the prevalence of concomitant bacterial infection across common viral infections.

Methods: This population-based cohort study included patients infected with influenza A and B (FLUA, FLUB) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Ontario between 2017 and 2019 and patients with SARS-CoV-2 between 2020 and 2021. Specific bacteria present in concomitant infections were identified.

Implementation of molecular diagnostic testing for group a streptococcal pharyngitis: considerations and challenges with a focus on point-of-care environments.

Introduction: Rapid and accurate detection of group A (GAS) pharyngitis allows for timely initiation of appropriate antibiotic treatment. This is important to prevent empiric antibiotic overuse while simultaneously lowering the risk of post-infection sequelae. Timely treatment may also reduce forward transmission, which could prevent cases of devastating invasive infections.

Characterization of a novel SNP identified in Australian group A isolates derived from the M1 lineage.

Group A (GAS) is a human-adapted pathogen responsible for a variety of diseases. The GAS M1 lineage has contributed significantly to the recently reported increases in scarlet fever and invasive infections. However, the basis for its evolutionary success is not yet fully understood.

Pathobiont-driven antibody sialylation through IL-10 undermines vaccination.

The pathobiont Staphylococcus aureus (Sa) induces nonprotective antibody imprints that underlie ineffective staphylococcal vaccination. However, the mechanism by which Sa modifies antibody activity is not clear. Herein, we demonstrate that IL-10 is the decisive factor that abrogates antibody protection in mice.

An Autopsy Case of Rapidly Fulminant Group A Streptococcus Infection in a Previously Healthy 67-Year-Old Woman.

, also known as group A (GAS), is responsible for various conditions, such as pharyngitis, tonsillitis, necrotizing fasciitis, and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). STSS, a rapidly progressing infection involving shock and multi-organ failure, was first reported in Japan in 1992, and since then, the number of cases has been steadily increasing. We herein report an autopsy case of STSS that resulted in sudden death.

Emergence of T4SS-type-ICE-carrying emm28 Streptococcus pyogenes causing invasive infection in Shanghai, China.

Objectives: Invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) infections have been rising in Europe, Australia, and the USA, but few data from China are available. This study was intended to provide local data to mirror the characteristics of iGAS infections in China.

Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of the iGAS infections during 2014-2023 in a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China.

Primary Bacterial Peritonitis in a Young Man: A Rare Manifestation of Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infection.

Group A (GAS) is a ubiquitous pathogen responsible for a wide range of infections, from superficial to severe invasive forms (iGAS). Among these, primary bacterial peritonitis (PBP) due to GAS is a rare but severe presentation. Recent epidemiological data indicate a significant rise in iGAS cases globally, which may be linked to changes in post-pandemic pathogen circulation.

A laboratory-developed extraction free real-time PCR for Group A Streptococcus in throat swabs: greater detection and faster results.

Aim: This work describes the validation of an in-house extraction free real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) in throat swabs collected in gel amies.

Method: Throat swabs received by the laboratory were prospectively tested by routine bacterial culture and an in-house PCR assay targeting the GAS SpeB gene with a multiplexed RNaseP internal control. Samples with discrepant culture/PCR results had additional testing using the commercial Xpert Group A Strep PCR assay (Cepheid).

[Atypical spontaneous bacterial peritonitis linked to streptococcal toxic shock syndrome].

Anamnesis And Clinical Examination: A 59-year-old female patient with an unremarkable medical history presented with watery diarrhea, severe lower abdominal pain, and fever for approximately 7 days. Physical examination revealed a distended abdomen, bowel sounds were absent, and there was an acute abdomen with generalized guarding and significantly elevated inflammatory markers.

Diagnosis: Abdominal computed tomography showed significant ascites and signs of peritonitis.

Multi-methods process evaluation of the SToP (See, Treat, Prevent) trial: a cluster randomised, stepped wedge trial to support healthy skin.

Background: Healthy skin is important for maintaining overall physical and cultural health and wellbeing. However, remote-living Australian Aboriginal children contend with disproportionally high rates of (Strep A) infected impetigo. The SToP Trial was a large stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial of See, Treat, and Prevent (SToP) skin health activities implemented between 2019 and 2022 in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, during which a decrease in impetigo was observed.

The group A pathogenicity island RD2: virulence role and barriers to conjugative transfer.

Serotype M28 isolates of the bacterial pathogen the group A (GAS; ), but not isolates of other serotypes, have a nonrandom association with cases of puerperal sepsis, a life-threatening infection that can occur in women following childbirth. In prior studies, we established that RD2, a pathogenicity island present in all M28 GAS isolates but mostly absent from other serotypes, is a factor in the M28-puerperal sepsis association. Here, we identified a significant reduction in the RD2 conjugation frequency in inter-serotype conjugation assays relative to intra-serotype assays.

Group A Streptococcus Infections in Children: Epidemiological Insights Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Group A streptococcus (GAS) is the cause of both mild and invasive infections in humans with a high morbidity and mortality rate. The transmission of disease usually occurs via droplets, so the implementation of infection mitigation strategies (IMS) during the COVID-19 pandemic altered the incidence of GAS infection. This review aims to provide an overview of the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of GAS infection in children (invasive or non-invasive).

Clinical Snapshot of Group A Streptococcal Isolates from an Australian Tertiary Hospital.

(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.

Orange Peel : Development of A Mucoadhesive Nasal Spray with Antimicrobial and Anti-inflammatory Activity.

Due to the high frequency and severity of upper respiratory bacterial infections, probiotics could offer a new medical approach. We explored the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of the new strain BIA and formulated a nasal spray. BIA was isolated from orange peel and taxonomically identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Nosocomial Transmission of Necrotizing Fasciitis: A Molecular Characterization of Group A Streptococcal DNases in Clinical Virulence.

, or Group A (GAS), is responsible for over 500,000 deaths per year. Approximately 15% of these deaths are caused by necrotizing soft-tissue infections. In 2008, we isolated an M5 GAS, named the LO1 strain, responsible for the nosocomial transmission of necrotizing fasciitis between a baby and a nurse in Belgium.