emm typing, antibiotic resistance and PFGE analysis of Streptococcus pyogenes in Lebanon

Abstract

One hundred and threeStreptococcus pyogenesisolates recovered mainly from streptococcal throat infections in Lebanon were characterized byemmand PFGE typing. Thirty-threeemmtypes and subtypes were detected among the isolates. PFGE was more discriminatory as a typing method. The prevalentemmtypes wereemm1(12.6 %),emm22(8.7 %),emm28(7.7 %),emm88(7.7 %) andemm4(6.8 %) and all isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and penicillin G. Ten per cent of the isolates were resistant to erythromycin and 3 % were resistant to erythromycin and clindamycin, showing the macrolide–lincosamide–streptogramin B phenotype. Theemmsequences and PFGE pattern database that were generated in this study will serve as a basis for information for long-term evolutionary and epidemiological studies of localS. pyogenesrecovered not only in Lebanon, but also in neighbouring countries.