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Identification of group A streptococcal emm types commonly associated with invasive infections and antimicrobial resistance by the use of multiplex PCR and high-resolution melting analysis

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Abstract

M/emm typing, based either on serotyping of the M protein or on sequencing of the emm gene, is a major tool for epidemiological studies of group A streptococci (GAS). In order to simplify M/emm typing, we designed two multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) formats capable of identifying the most frequent GAS M/emm types involved in invasive infections and antimicrobial resistance. A heptaplex PCR procedure was first developed in a conventional format coupled with gel electrophoresis to identify emm types 1, 3, 4, 6, 12, 28, and 89, based on the size of the amplification products. The other method, designed to identify the same seven emm types, together with emm11, was based on a real-time PCR format coupled with high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis, allowing the rapid typing of large strain collections.

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Acknowledgment

We thank Prof. Anne Bouvet for her critical review of the manuscript and helpful discussions.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, EA 3105, Paris, France

    P. Bidet, S. Liguori, S. Bonacorsi, C. Courroux, C. d’Humières & E. Bingen

  2. Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Laboratoire de Microbiologie, Hôpital Robert-Debré, 48 Bd. Sérurier, 75395, Paris cedex 19, France

    P. Bidet, S. Liguori, S. Bonacorsi, C. Courroux, C. d’Humières & E. Bingen

  3. Université Paris Descartes, Faculté de Médecine, INSERM 1016, CNRS, UMR8104, Institut Cochin, Paris, France

    C. Plainvert & C. Poyart

  4. Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Bactériologie, Centre National de Référence des Streptocoques, Groupe Hospitalier Cochin-Hôtel Dieu-Broca, Paris, France

    C. Plainvert & C. Poyart

  5. WHO Collaborating Centre for Diphtheria & Streptococcal Infections, Respiratory & Systemic Infection Laboratory, Microbiology Services Division, Colindale, Health Protection Agency, London, UK

    A. Efstratiou

Authors
  1. P. Bidet
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  2. S. Liguori
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  3. C. Plainvert
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  4. S. Bonacorsi
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  5. C. Courroux
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  6. C. d’Humières
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  7. C. Poyart
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  8. A. Efstratiou
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  9. E. Bingen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. Bingen.

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Bidet, P., Liguori, S., Plainvert, C. et al. Identification of group A streptococcal emm types commonly associated with invasive infections and antimicrobial resistance by the use of multiplex PCR and high-resolution melting analysis. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 31, 2817–2826 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-012-1635-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-012-1635-5

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