Identification of epidemic scarlet fever group A Streptococcus strains in the paediatric population of Houston, TX, USA

M Belen Cubria; Jose Delgado; Brittany J Shah; Misu A Sanson; Anthony R Flores

doi:10.1099/acmi.0.000274

Identification of epidemic scarlet fever group A Streptococcus strains in the paediatric population of Houston, TX, USA

Access Microbiol. 2021 Oct 26;3(10):000274. doi: 10.1099/acmi.0.000274. eCollection 2021.

Authors

M Belen Cubria¹, Jose Delgado¹, Brittany J Shah¹, Misu A Sanson¹, Anthony R Flores^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
² Center for Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbial Genomics, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.

Abstract

Scarlet fever (SF) has recently been associated with group A streptococcal (GAS) strains possessing multidrug resistance and specific streptococcal exotoxins. We screened a local surveillance collection of GAS emm12 strains in Houston, TX, USA for antimicrobial resistance and identified a single isolate matching the antimicrobial resistance pattern previously reported for SF clones. Using whole-genome sequencing and combining genome sequence data derived from national surveillance databases, we identified additional emm12 GAS clones similar to those associated with prior SF outbreaks, emphasizing the need for continued surveillance for epidemic emergence in the USA.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance; emm12; group A Streptococcus; paediatric; scarlet fever.