Table 1
Isolation rate (%) of group A streptococci (GAS) according to age and sex
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Daewoo General Hospital, Geoje, Korea
2Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Changwon Hospital, Changwon, Korea
3Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences, Jinju, Korea
*Corresponding author: E-mail: sjkim8239@hanmail.net
December 2021
The Annals of Clinical Microbiology 2021 24(4):127-134
Received Date: 30 December 2020
Revised Date: 13 April 2021
Accepted Date: 6 June 2021
DOI: 10.5145/ACM.2021.24.4.3
Citation
The Annals of Clinical Microbiology 2021 24(4):127-134
Received Date: 30 December 2020
Revised Date: 13 April 2021
Accepted Date: 6 June 2021
DOI: 10.5145/ACM.2021.24.4.3
Citation
ABSTRACT
Background: Group A streptococcus (GAS) is the most common cause of bacterial pharyngitis. This study aimed to characterize the molecular epidemiology of GAS infection using an emm-typing and emm-clustering approach.
Methods: A total of 372 patients from Changwon who showed pharyngitis symptoms were recruited during the sampling period of 20182019 and throat cultures were obtained from them. emm typing was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing. emm genotypes and GAS clusters were classified based on a web-based database.
Results: Of the 372 throat swab specimens, 101 (27.2%) were positive for GAS. emm typing analysis was performed on 59 GAS isolates. The most prevalent emm type was emm89 (20.3%), followed by emm12 (16.9%). Seven emm clusters were identified: E4 (emm89/emm28, 32.2%), A-C4 (emm12, 16.9%), E1 (emm4, 13.6%), A-C5 (emm3, 10.2%), E6 (emm75, 8.5%), M6 (emm6, 8.5%), and A-C3 (emm1, 6.8%).
Conclusion: Diverse and temporal changes were observed in the distribution of emm types and clusters of GAS. Continuous surveillance based on emm genotyping is needed to monitor the epidemiological characteristics of GAS pharyngitis.
