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

Abstract

SUMMARY:We surveyed group C and group G b-hemolytic streptococci for emm and emmL (emm -like) genes which encode the M protein, as well as determined their antimicrobial susceptibilities. A total of 97 isolates 79 GCS/GGS isolates and 18 isolates from other groups were tested for the M protein gene by PCR. Focusing on invasive infections with group A (GAS), group C (GCS), and group G (GGS) b-hemolytic streptococci isolated from blood, the M protein gene was found in 90.0z, 84.6z, and 78.3z of isolates, respectively. The hypervariable N terminal region of the emm was sequenced from 62 isolates, and 26 types of the emm gene were identified. Based on these results, type emm222.2 may be endemic to Thailand. The results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing of groups C, G, and non-groups A to G isolates indicated high susceptibility (range 82-100z) to penicillin, cefotaxime, chloramphenicol, clindamycin, erythromycin, linezolid, ofloxacin, and vancomycin, whereas the isolates showed low susceptibility (range 0-15.6z) to tetracycline.

Molecular subtyping and antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis isolates from clinically diseased pigs

“…However, this hypothesis may be applicable only for SDSE isolates from human sources, given that the isolates from animal sources are often emm non-typable [ 2 ]. Although our study could not find any associations due to typing of only 1 isolate, the amplified type ( stL2764 ) in this study has already been documented in several surveys of the pig, human, and horse SDSE [ 2 24 32 33 ]. Among them, Pinho et al [ 2 ] strongly doubted that the horse isolate identified as stL2764 had zoonotic potential.…”