Detection of Streptococcus pyogenes M1UK in Australia and characterization of the mutation driving enhanced expression of superantigen SpeA

MR Davies; N Keller; S Brouwer; MG Jespersen; AJ Cork; AJ Hayes; ME Pitt; DMP De Oliveira; N Harbison-Price; OM Bertolla; DG Mediati; BF Curren; G Taiaroa; JA Lacey; HV Smith; NX Fang; LJM Coin; K Stevens; SYC Tong; M Sanderson-Smith; JJ Tree; AD Irwin; K Grimwood; BP Howden; AV Jennison; MJ Walker

Journal article

Detection of Streptococcus pyogenes M1UK in Australia and characterization of the mutation driving enhanced expression of superantigen SpeA

MR Davies, N Keller, S Brouwer, MG Jespersen, AJ Cork, AJ Hayes, ME Pitt, DMP De Oliveira, N Harbison-Price, OM Bertolla, DG Mediati, BF Curren, G Taiaroa, JA Lacey, HV Smith, NX Fang, LJM Coin, K Stevens, SYC Tong, M Sanderson-Smith Show all

Nature Communications | Published : 2023

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36717-4

Abstract

A new variant of Streptococcus pyogenes serotype M1 (designated ‘M1UK’) has been reported in the United Kingdom, linked with seasonal scarlet fever surges, marked increase in invasive infections, and exhibiting enhanced expression of the superantigen SpeA. The progenitor S. pyogenes ‘M1global’ and M1UK clones can be differentiated by 27 SNPs and 4 indels, yet the mechanism for speA upregulation is unknown. Here we investigate the previously unappreciated expansion of M1UK in Australia, now isolated from the majority of serious infections caused by serotype M1 S. pyogenes. M1UK sub-lineages circulating in Australia also contain a novel toxin repertoire associated with epidemic scarlet fever c..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Mark Davies Author

Andrew Hayes Author

George Taiaroa Author

Jake Lacey Author

Grants

Awarded by Queensland Government

Funding Acknowledgements

The work was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. We acknowledge the support of staff at Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services (funded by the Queensland Government) and the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory (funded by the Victorian Government). We acknowledge Prof. Kwok-Yung Yuen (Hong Kong University) for providing S. pyogenes isolate HKU488.