title: Severe soft tissue infection caused by a non-beta-hemolytic Streptococcus pyogenes strain harboring a premature stop mutation in the sagC gene.
abstract: We recovered a non-beta-hemolytic Streptococcus pyogenes strain from a severe soft tissue infection. In this isolate, we detected a premature stop codon within the sagC gene of the streptolysin S (SLS) biosynthetic operon. Reintroduction of full-length sagC gene on a plasmid vector restored the beta-hemolytic phenotype to our clinical isolate, indicating that the point mutation in sagC accounted for loss of hemolytic activity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate that a severe soft tissue infection can be caused by a non-beta-hemolytic S. pyogenes strain lacking a functional SagC.
authors.affiliation: Mikrobiologisches Institut-Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jantsch
authors.forename: Roman G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Gerlach
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ensser
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dahesh
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Popp
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heeg
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bleiziffer
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Merz
authors.forename: Theresia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Raymund E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Horch
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bogdan
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nizet
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van der Linden
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways / Q000235:genetics; D018389:Codon, Nonsense; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D013301:Streptolysins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018389:Codon, Nonsense; D013301:Streptolysins; D037521:Virulence Factors; C026050:streptolysin S