Application of Whole-Genome Sequencing to an Unusual Outbreak of Invasive Group A Streptococcal Disease

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2016 Feb 19;3(1):ofw042. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofw042. eCollection 2016 Jan.

Abstract

Whole-genome analysis was applied to investigate atypical point-source transmission of 2 invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) infections. Isolates were serotype M4, ST39, and genetically indistinguishable. Comparison with MGAS10750 revealed nonsynonymous polymorphisms in ropB and increased speB transcription. This study demonstrates the usefulness of whole-genome analyses for GAS outbreaks.

Keywords: Streptococcuspyogenes; group A Streptococcus; invasive disease; speB; whole-genome sequencing.