Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, emm type distribution and genetic diversity of Streptococcus pyogenes recovered in Brazil

Abstract

Streptococcus pyogenes is responsible for a variety of infectious diseases and immunological complications. In this study, 91 isolates of S. pyogenes recovered from oropharynx secretions were submitted to antimicrobial susceptibility testing, emm typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis. All isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone, levofloxacin, penicillin G and vancomycin. Resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin was 15.4%, which is higher than previous reports from this area, while 20.9% of the isolates were not susceptible to tetracycline. The macrolide resistance phenotypes were cMLSB (10) and iMLSB (4). The ermB gene was predominant, followed by the ermA gene. Thirty-two emm types and subtypes were found, but five (emm1, emm4, emm12, emm22, emm81) were detected in 48% of the isolates. Three new emm subtypes were identified (emm1.74, emm58.14, emm76.7). There was a strong association between emm type and PFGE clustering. A variety of PFGE profiles as well as emm types were found among tetracycline and erythromycin-resistant isolates, demonstrating that antimicrobial resistant strains do not result from the expansion of one or a few clones. This study provides epidemiological data that contribute to the development of suitable strategies for the prevention and treatment of such infections in a poorly studied area.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of Strep Aemmclusters in Africa to inform vaccine development

“…Amongst non-invasive infections, cluster E6 was the most abundant cluster. This is in accordance with previous reports completed by Sagar (40), Dhanda (41) and Arêas (42), that identified emm types belonging to cluster E6 (emm75, emm81) as the predominant isolates obtained from countries closely relating to the impoverished environments within Africa, India and Brazil respectively. However, when referring to invasive disease, the predominant emm clusters are E3, followed by E6 and D4, which is complimentary to the emm cluster data shown by Chiang-Ni (18).…”

Prevalence of the M Protein Gene in Group C and Group G Streptococci Isolated from Patients in Thailand

“…The M protein gene prevalence in GAS (93.3z) from this study was comparable to that (94.5z) reported in Brazil (16). A previous study in Thailand showed the predominant M protein type of GAS to be M93 (20.75z); other M types included M1, M44/61, and M25 (17).…”

Antimicrobial susceptibility and genetic relationships among Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis isolates in Rio de Janeiro

“…[12] This may be related to the discontinued usage of tetracycline to treat streptococcal pharyngitis, and it was also reported to GAS isolates. [28] However, we do not have national data about tetracycline usage over the years to confirm this hypothesis.…”