Differences among group A streptococcus epidemiological landscapes: consequences for M protein-based vaccines?

Abstract

Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a bacterial pathogen responsible for a wide array of disease pathologies in humans. GAS surface M protein plays multiple key roles in pathogenesis, and serves as a target for typing and vaccine development. In this review, we have compiled GAS epidemiological studies from several countries around the world to highlight the consequences on the theoretical efficacy of two different M protein-based vaccine strategies.

Keywords::

• group A streptococcus
• M protein
• M protein vaccine
• Streptococcus pyogenes

Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely acknowledge PV Brahmachari, Tdayoshi Ikebe, Sunjoo Kim, Vera Mijac, Stanford Shulman, Andrew Steer, Kimiko Ubukata and Haruo Watanabe for sharing details about their M-protein epidemiology studies. The authors also thank Michèle Dramaix for her valuable statistical support and Mimi Kersting for her excellent art design work.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Pierre R Smeesters is a ‘chargé de recherche’ FNRS and has been supported by an ESPID Fellowship Award. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.