title: Members of a new subgroup of Streptococcus anginosus harbor virulence related genes previously observed in Streptococcus pyogenes.
abstract: Conventionally categorized as commensals, the Streptococci of the species S. anginosus are facultative human pathogens that are difficult to diagnose and often overlooked. Furthermore, detailed investigation and diagnosis of S. anginosus infections is hampered by unexplored taxonomy and widely elusive molecular pathogenesis. To explore their pathogenic potential, S. anginosus isolates collected from patients of two geographical locations (Vellore, India and Leipzig, Germany) were subjected to multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA). This analysis revealed the potential presence of a new distinct clade of the species S. anginosus, tentatively termed here as genomosubspecies vellorensis. A complementary PCR-based screening for S. pyogenes virulence factor as well as antibiotic resistance genes revealed not only the presence of superantigen- and extracellular DNase coding genes identical to corresponding genes of S. pyogenes, but also of erythromycin and tetracycline resistance genes in the genomes of the analyzed S. anginosus isolates, thus posing a matter of significant health concern. Identification of new pathogenic S. anginosus strains capable of causing difficult to treat infections may pose additional challenges to the diagnosis and treatment of Streptococcus based infections.
authors.affiliation: Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany. Electronic address: Anshu.Babbar@helmholtz-hzi.de.
authors.forename: Anshu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Babbar
authors.affiliation: Golden Jubilee Biotech Park for Women Society, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Venkatesan Naveen
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bacteriology and Mycology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bergmann
authors.affiliation: Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Barrantes
authors.affiliation: Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Dietmar H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Pieper
authors.affiliation: Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Itzek
authors.affiliation: Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: D Patric
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Nitsche-Schmitz
mesh_terms: D003851:Deoxyribonucleases / Q000235:genetics; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D034366:Streptococcus anginosus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000235:genetics; D018089:Superantigens / Q000235:genetics; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018089:Superantigens; D037521:Virulence Factors; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases
keywords: Antibiotic resistance; DNase; MLSA; Streptococcus anginosus; Superantigen; Virulence factor