TY - JOUR AU - Aziz, Ramy K. AU - Kotb, Malak T1 - Rise and Persistence of Global M1T1 Clone of Streptococcus pyogenes T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2008 VL - 14 IS - 10 SP - 1511 SN - 1080-6059 AB - The resurgence of severe invasive group A streptococcal infections in the 1980s is a typical example of the reemergence of an infectious disease. We found that this resurgence is a consequence of the diversification of particular strains of the bacteria. Among these strains is a highly virulent subclone of serotype M1T1 that has exhibited unusual epidemiologic features and virulence, unlike all other streptococcal strains. This clonal strain, commonly isolated from both noninvasive and invasive infection cases, is most frequently associated with severe invasive diseases. Because of its unusual prevalence, global spread, and increased virulence, we investigated the unique features that likely confer its unusual properties. In doing so, we found that the increased virulence of this clonal strain can be attributed to its diversification through phage mobilization and its ability to sense and adapt to different host environments; accordingly, the fittest members of this diverse bacterial community are selected to survive and invade host tissue. KW - M1T1 strain KW - Streptococcus pyogenes KW - epidemiology KW - strain diversification KW - invasive KW - pathogenomics KW - phage mobilization KW - horizontal gene transfer KW - perspective DO - 10.3201/eid1410.071660 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/14/10/07-1660_article ER - End of Reference