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Streptococcal Collagen-Like Protein A And General Stress Protein 24 Are Immunomodulating Virulence Factors Of Group A Streptococcus, James A. Tsatsaronis, Andrew Hollands, Jason N. Cole, Peter G. Maamary, Christine M. Gillen, Nouri L. Ben Zakour, Malak Kotb, Victor Nizet, Scott A. Beatson, Mark J. Walker, Martina L. Sanderson-Smith

Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute

In Western countries, invasive infections caused by M1T1 serotype group A Streptococcus (GAS) are epidemiologically linked to mutations in the control of virulence regulatory 2-component operon (covRS). In indigenous communities and developing countries, severe GAS disease is associated with genetically diverse non-M1T1 GAS serotypes. Hypervirulent M1T1 covRS mutant strains arise through selection by human polymorphonuclear cells for increased expression of GAS virulence factors such as the DNase Sda1, which promotes neutrophil resistance. The GAS bacteremia isolate NS88.2 (emm 98.1) is a covS mutant that exhibits a hypervirulent phenotype and neutrophil resistance yet lacks the phage-encoded Sda1. Here, we have employed …