10 Facts About Streptococcus pyogenes

Streptococcus pyogenes is a species of Gram-positive, aerotolerant bacteria in the genus Streptococcus.

The incidence and mortality of S pyogenes was high during the pre-penicillin era, but had already started to fall prior to the widespread availability of penicillin.

In 1928, Rebecca Lancefield published a method for serotyping S pyogenes based on its cell-wall polysaccharide, a virulence factor displayed on its surface.

All strains of S pyogenes are polylysogenized, in that they carry one or more bacteriophage on their genomes.

Streptococcus pyogenes has several virulence factors that enable it to attach to host tissues, evade the immune response, and spread by penetrating host tissue layers.

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Complete genome sequences of the type strain of S pyogenes are available in DNA Data Bank of Japan, European Nucleotide Archive, and GenBank under the accession numbers LN831034 and CP028841.

Streptococcus pyogenes is the cause of many human diseases, ranging from mild superficial skin infections to life-threatening systemic diseases.

Examples of mild S pyogenes infections include pharyngitis and localized skin infection .

Infections due to certain strains of S pyogenes can be associated with the release of bacterial toxins.

Many S pyogenes proteins have unique properties, which have been harnessed in recent years to produce a highly specific "superglue" and a route to enhance the effectiveness of antibody therapy.