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. 2023 Sep;28(36):2300427.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.36.2300427.

Sustained increase of paediatric invasive Streptococcus pyogenes infections dominated by M1UK and diverse emm 12 isolates, Portugal, September 2022 to May 2023

Catarina Gouveia  1 , Maria Paula Bajanca-Lavado  2 , Rafael Mamede  3 , Ana Araújo Carvalho  1 , Fernanda Rodrigues  4 , José Melo-Cristino  3 , Mario Ramirez  3 , Ana Friães  3 ; Portuguese Group for the Study of Streptococcal Infections  5 ; Portuguese Study Group of Pediatric Invasive Streptococcal Disease  5 ; Portuguese Study Group of Paediatric Invasive Streptococcal Disease
Collaborators, Affiliations

Sustained increase of paediatric invasive Streptococcus pyogenes infections dominated by M1UK and diverse emm 12 isolates, Portugal, September 2022 to May 2023

Catarina Gouveia et al. Euro Surveill. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Since autumn 2022, observed numbers of paediatric invasive group A Streptococcus infections in Portugal (n = 89) were higher than in pre-COVID-19 seasons. Between September 2022 and May 2023, the dominant diagnoses were pneumonia (25/79), mostly with empyema (20/25), and sepsis (22/79). A number of cases required admission to intensive care (27/79) and surgery (35/79), and the case fatality rate was 5.1% (4/79). Genomic sequencing (n = 55) revealed multiple genetic lineages, dominated by the M1UK sublineage (26/55) and more diverse emm12 isolates (12/55).

Keywords: M1UK; Streptococcus pyogenes; emm type; epidemiology; group A streptococcus; paediatric infections; whole genome sequencing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: FR has received honoraria for serving on speakers´ bureaus and as an expert in Advisory Boards for GlaxoSmithKline, MSD, Pfizer and Sanofi. JM-C received research grants administered through his university and received honoraria for serving on the speakers’ bureaus of Pfizer and MSD. MR received honoraria for serving on the speakers’ bureaus of Pfizer and MSD and for serving in expert panels of GlaxoSmithKline and MSD. All other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Monthly distribution of cases with paediatric invasive group A Streptococcus infections, Portugal, 2014/15–2022/23
Figure 2
Figure 2
Minimum spanning tree of paediatric invasive emm1 group A Streptococcus isolates, Portugal, 1 September 2022–31 May 2023 (n = 30), and of emm1 isolates from United Kingdom, 2009–2016 (n = 135) and Denmark, 2022–2023 (n = 99)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Minimum spanning tree of paediatric invasive emm12 group A Streptococcus isolates, Portugal, 1 September 2022–31 May 2023 (n = 12), and of emm12 isolates from Denmark, 2018–2023 (n = 239) and a global collection, 2001–2015 (n = 69)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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