Emerging Infectious Diseases (Apr 2016)

Hypervirulent emm59 Clone in Invasive Group A Streptococcus Outbreak, Southwestern United States

  • David M. Engelthaler,
  • Michael Valentine,
  • Jolene Bowers,
  • Jennifer Pistole,
  • Elizabeth M. Driebe,
  • Joel Terriquez,
  • Linus Nienstadt,
  • Mark Carroll,
  • Mare Schumacher,
  • Mary Ellen Ormsby,
  • Shane Brady,
  • Eugene Livar,
  • Del Yazzie,
  • Victor Waddell,
  • Marie Peoples,
  • Kenneth Komatsu,
  • Paul Keim

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2204.151582
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 22, no. 4
pp. 734 – 738

Abstract

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The hyper-virulent emm59 genotype of invasive group A Streptococcus was identified in northern Arizona in 2015. Eighteen isolates belonging to a genomic cluster grouped most closely with recently identified isolates in New Mexico. The continued transmission of emm59 in the southwestern United States poses a public health concern.

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