Human disease isolates of serotype m4 and m22 group a streptococcus lack genes required for hyaluronic acid capsule biosynthesis.

ABSTRACT:

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Group A streptococcus (GAS) causes human pharyngitis and invasive infections and frequently colonizes individuals asymptomatically. Many lines of evidence generated over decades have shown that the hyaluronic acid capsule is a major virulence factor contributing to these infections. While conducting a whole-genome analysis of the in vivo molecular genetic changes that occur in GAS during longitudinal human pharyngeal interaction, we discovered that serotypes M4 and M22 GAS strains lack the hasABC genes necessary for hyaluronic acid capsule biosynthesis. Using targeted PCR, we found that all 491 temporally and geographically diverse disease isolates of these two serotypes studied lack the hasABC genes. Consistent with the lack of capsule synthesis genes, none of the strai

SUBMITTER: Flores AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3487777 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature