title: Molecular epidemiologic comparison of 2 unusual clusters of group a streptococcal necrotizing fasciitis in Hawaii.
abstract: Two clusters of necrotizing fasciitis (NF) due to group A streptococcus (GAS) were identified on the Hawaiian islands of Kauai and Maui during 1997 and 2002, respectively. The emm gene sequence types and the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns were determined for 6 isolates recovered from patients with NF and for 116 isolates recovered from patients with temporally associated community-acquired GAS infection. No predominant emm type was identified, and the emm types of 64 (52.5%) of the isolates were considered to be uncommon in the continental United States. These findings suggest that unusual emm types might be responsible for invasive GAS infections in patients from Hawaii.
authors.affiliation: John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96826, USA. guliz@hawaii.edu
authors.forename: Guliz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Erdem
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Rebecca Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Kanenaka
authors.forename: Lucienne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaga
authors.forename: Paul V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Effler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002481:Cellulitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D019115:Fasciitis, Necrotizing / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006254:Hawaii / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins