title: Characteristics of group A Streptococcus strains circulating during scarlet fever epidemic, Beijing, China, 2011.
abstract: Scarlet fever is one of a variety of diseases caused by group A Streptococcus (GAS). During 2011, a scarlet fever epidemic characterized by peak monthly incidence rates 2.9-6.7 times higher than those in 2006-2010 occurred in Beijing, China. During the epidemic, hospital-based enhanced surveillance for scarlet fever and pharyngitis was conducted to determine characteristics of circulating GAS strains. The surveillance identified 3,359 clinical cases of scarlet fever or pharyngitis. GAS was isolated from 647 of the patients; 76.4% of the strains were type emm12, and 17.1% were emm1. Almost all isolates harbored superantigens speC and ssa. All isolates were susceptible to penicillin, and resistance rates were 96.1% to erythromycin, 93.7% to tetracycline, and 79.4% to clindamycin. Because emm12 type GAS is not the predominant type in other countries, wider surveillance for the possible spread of emm12 type GAS from China to other countries is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xiaomin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Daitao
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shuangsheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yimeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Shujuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Guilan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Weixian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Quanyi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D058872:Epidemics; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors; D012541:Scarlet Fever / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000266:history; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics
keywords: Beijing; China; GAS; People’s Republic of China; antimicrobial drug susceptibility; bacteria; emm type; epidemic; group A Streptococcus; pharyngitis; scarlet fever; superantigen; surveillance