Clonal relationships between invasive and noninvasive Lancefield group C and G streptococci and emm-specific differences in invasiveness.

ABSTRACT: Lancefield group G and group C streptococci (GGS and GCS, respectively) are pathogens responsible for a number of life-threatening infections. A collection of 116 recent (1998 to 2004) invasive (n = 28) and noninvasive (n = 88) GGS and GCS clinical isolates from Portugal were characterized. All isolates were identified as Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis and characterized by emm typing and DNA macrorestriction profiling using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). emm typing revealed the presence of 22 distinct types, including 3 novel types. PFGE identified 14 clones with more than two isolates, but over half of the isolates were concentrated in 3 large clones. Individual clones and emm types showed a low level of association, since the majority of the clones included more

SUBMITTER: Pinho MD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1393098 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature