Molecular typing of Streptococcus pyogenes from remote Aboriginal communities where rheumatic fever is common and pyoderma is the predominant streptococcal infection

Malcolm McDonald, R TOWERS, Peter Fagan, Jonathan Carapetis, Bart Currie

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Aboriginal Australians in remote communities have high rates of rheumatic heart disease (RHD); yet pharyngitis is reportedly rare whilst pyoderma is common. Some strains of group A streptococci (GAS) have preference for the throat and others for the skin depending on M protein type. A study in three remote communities provided 350 GAS isolates for emm sequence typing, 244 were also emm pattern typed. There was 100% correlation between emm sequence and pattern type. Patterns D and E (non-throat tropic) made up 71% of throat and 87% of skin isolates although patterns A-C (throat tropic) were more common in the throat than the skin (RR 2.3, 95% CI 1.4 - 3.8) whilst the opposite was found for pattern D (RR 2.2, 95% CI 1.7 - 3.0). Pattern E favoured the throat (RR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1 - 1.8). Where environmental factors predispose to skin infection, emm pattern types D and E prevail, whatever the recovery site. � 2007 Cambridge University Press.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1398-1405
    Number of pages8
    JournalEpidemiology and Infection
    Volume135
    Issue number8
    Publication statusPublished - 2007

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