Patrick R Shea, Stephen B Beres, Anthony R Flores, Amy L Ewbank, Javier H Gonzalez-Lugo, Alexandro J Martagon-Rosado, Juan C Martinez-Gutierrez, Hina A Rehman, Monica Serrano-Gonzalez, Nahuel Fittipaldi, Stephen D Ayers, Paul Webb, Barbara M Willey, Donald E Low, James M Musser
Many pathogens colonize different anatomical sites, but the selective pressures contributing to survival in the diverse niches are poorly understood. Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a human-adapted bacterium that causes a range of infections. Much effort has been expended to dissect the molecular basis of invasive (sterile-site) infections, but little is known about the genomes of strains causing pharyngitis (streptococcal "sore throat"). Additionally, there is essentially nothing known about the genetic relationships between populations of invasive and pharyngitis strains...
March 22, 2011: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America