Infectious Microbes & Diseases (Dec 2020)

Genetic Characterization of Streptococcus pyogenes emm89 Strains Isolated in Japan From 2011 to 2019

  • Yujiro Hirose,
  • Masaya Yamaguchi,
  • Norihiko Takemoto,
  • Tohru Miyoshi-Akiyama,
  • Tomoko Sumitomo,
  • Masanobu Nakata,
  • Tadayoshi Ikebe,
  • Tomoki Hanada,
  • Takahiro Yamaguchi,
  • Ryuji Kawahara,
  • Rumi Okuno,
  • Hitoshi Otsuka,
  • Yuko Matsumoto,
  • Yuji Terashima,
  • Yu Kazawa,
  • Noriko Nakanishi,
  • Kaoru Uchida,
  • Yumi Akiyama,
  • Kaori Iwabuchi,
  • Chikara Nakagawa,
  • Kazunari Yamamoto,
  • Victor Nizet,
  • Shigetada Kawabata,
  • Stijn van der Veen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1097/IM9.0000000000000038
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 4
pp. 160 – 166

Abstract

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Abstract. Invasive infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes emm89 strains has been increasing in several countries linked to a recently emergent clade of emm89 strains, designated clade 3. In Japan, the features of emm89 S. pyogenes strains, such as clade classification, remains unknown. In this study, we collected emm89 strains isolated from both streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) (89 STSS isolates) and noninvasive infections (72 non-STSS isolates) in Japan from 2011 to 2019, and conducted whole-genome sequencing and comparative analysis, which resulted in classification of a large majority into clade 3 regardless of disease severity. In addition, invasive disease-associated factors were found among emm89 strains, including mutations of control of virulence sensor, and absence of the hylP1 gene encoding hyaluronidase. These findings provide new insights into genetic features of emm89 strains.