The Emergence of Successful Streptococcus pyogenes Lineages through Convergent Pathways of Capsule Loss and Recombination Directing High Toxin Expression.

ABSTRACT: Gene transfer and homologous recombination in Streptococcus pyogenes has the potential to trigger the emergence of pandemic lineages, as exemplified by lineages of emm1 and emm89 that emerged in the 1980s and 2000s, respectively. Although near-identical replacement gene transfer events in the nga (NADase) and slo (streptolysin O) loci conferring high expression of these toxins underpinned the success of these lineages, extension to other emm genotype lineages is unreported. The emergent emm89 lineage was characterized by five regions of homologous recombination additional to nga-slo, including complete loss of the hyaluronic acid capsule synthesis locus hasABC, a genetic trait replicated in two other leading emm types an

SUBMITTER: Turner CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6904876 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature