A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Rapid selection of complement-inhibiting protein variants in group A Streptococcus epidemic waves



Authors: Hoe NP, Nakashima K, Lukomski S, Grigsby D, Liu M, Kordari P, Dou SJ, Pan X, Vuopio-Varkila J, Salmelinna S, McGeer A, Low DE, Schwartz B, Schuchat A, Naidich S, Fu YX, De Lorenzo D, Musser JM

Publication year: 1999

Journal: Nature Medicine

Journal name in source: Nature medicine

Journal acronym: Nat Med

Volume: 5

Issue: 8

First page : 924

Last page: 9

Number of pages: 6

ISSN: 1078-8956

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/11369


Abstract
Serotype M1 group A Streptococcus strains cause epidemic waves of human infections long thought to be mono- or pauciclonal. The gene encoding an extracellular group A Streptococcus protein (streptococcal inhibitor of complement) that inhibits human complement was sequenced in 1,132 M1 strains recovered from population-based surveillance of infections in Canada, Finland and the United States. Epidemic waves are composed of strains expressing a remarkably heterogeneous array of variants of streptococcal inhibitor of complement that arise very rapidly by natural selection on mucosal surfaces. Thus, our results enhance the understanding of pathogen population dynamics in epidemic waves and infectious disease reemergence.



Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 12:24