| Affiliation: | (1) Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand;(2) Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University3, Chiang Mai, Thailand;(3) Queensland Institute of Medical Research, 300 Herston Road, Herston, Brisbane, QLD, Australia |
| Abstract: | Background Group A streptococcal (GAS) infections can lead to the development of severe post-infectious sequelae, such as rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). RF and RHD are a major health concern in developing countries, and in indigenous populations of developed nations. The majority of GAS isolates are M protein-nontypeable (MNT) by standard serotyping. However, GAS typing is a necessary tool in the epidemiologically analysis of GAS and provides useful information for vaccine development. Although DNA sequencing is the most conclusive method for M protein typing, this is not a feasible approach especially in developing countries. To overcome this problem, we have developed a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)-based assay for molecular typing the M protein gene (emm) of GAS. |
