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Pathogens
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Beta-Hemolytic Streptococci as Human Pathogens
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Beta-Hemolytic Streptococci as Human Pathogens

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 18784

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Rudolf Lütticken

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
DWI – Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials and RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Interests: streptococcus; streptococcal infections; skin infections; probiotic bacteria

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Beta-hemolytic streptococci are important human pathogens, creating a high burden of disease worldwide. Although still sensitive to some antibiotics, they cause an array of serious pyogenic infections and non-suppurative sequelae, e.g., rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. The development of vaccines is still in progress and they are not yet available on the market. Beta-hemolytic streptococci are also important animal pathogens and some of those can cause zoonotic diseases.

This Special Issue of Pathogens will focus on three important (generally) beta-hemolytic streptococcal species found in humans: 1. Streptococcus pyogenes (commonly also termed the “group A streptococcus” or “GAS”), 2. Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (the “groups C and G streptococci—GCS, GGS”), and 3. Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus).

The scope of the contributions will be on the basics of the microbiology of these bacteria including important pathogenicity factors and their regulation, the diseases they cause in man and their epidemiology, and aspects of therapy and prevention of these diseases.

Thus, it will serve as a concise and up-to-date overview of these human pathogens, the role they play in human infections, and the management of the illnesses. More elaborate and detailed overviews are found in recent publications by Ferretti, J. J. et al. [1] and Fischetti, V. A. et al. [2].

References:

  1. Ferretti JJ, Stevens DL, Fischetti VA. Streptococcus pyogenes: Basic Biology to Clinical Manifestations [electronic book]. Oklahoma City (OK): University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; 2016. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26866208.
  2. Fischetti VA, Novick RP, Ferretti JJ, Portnoy DA, Braunstein M, Rood JI, editors. Gram-Positive Pathogens. 3rd ed. Washington, DC: American Society for Microbiology; 2019.

Prof. Rudolf Lütticken
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Streptococcus pyogenes;
  • S. dysgalactiae;
  • S. agalactiae;
  • streptococcal infections;
  • prevention;
  • therapy.

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Review

10 pages, 556 KiB  
Review
Group B Streptococcal Colonization in African Countries: Prevalence, Capsular Serotypes, and Molecular Sequence Types
by Sarah Shabayek, Patricia Ferrieri and Barbara Spellerberg
Pathogens 2021, 10(12), 1606; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10121606 - 10 Dec 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3804
Abstract
Streptococcus agalactiae or group B streptococcus (GBS) is a commensal of the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts of healthy women and an important cause of neonatal invasive infections worldwide. Transmission of bacteria to the newborn occurs at birth and can be prevented by intrapartum [...] Read more.
Streptococcus agalactiae or group B streptococcus (GBS) is a commensal of the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts of healthy women and an important cause of neonatal invasive infections worldwide. Transmission of bacteria to the newborn occurs at birth and can be prevented by intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. However, this not available in resource limited settings in Africa, which carries a particular high burden of disease. Serotype based vaccines are in development and present a suitable alternative to prevent neonatal infections. To be able to assess vaccine efficacy, knowledge and surveillance of GBS epidemiological data are required. This review summarizes investigations about the serotype distribution and the multi-locus sequence types (MLST) found in different African countries. While most serotypes and MLST data are comparable to findings from other continents, some specific differences exist. Serotype V is predominant among colonizing maternal strains in many different African countries. Serotypes that are rarely detected in western industrialized nations, such as serotypes VI, VII and IX, are prevalent in studies from Ghana and Egypt. Moreover, some specific MLST sequence types that seem to be more or less unique to Africa have been detected. However, overall, the data confirm that a hexavalent vaccine can provide broad coverage for the African continent and that a protein vaccine could represent a promising alternative. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beta-Hemolytic Streptococci as Human Pathogens)
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11 pages, 646 KiB  
Review
Bacteriocin Production by Beta-Hemolytic Streptococci
by Verena Vogel and Barbara Spellerberg
Pathogens 2021, 10(7), 867; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10070867 - 9 Jul 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4172
Abstract
Beta-hemolytic streptococci cause a variety of infectious diseases associated with high morbidity and mortality. A key factor for successful infection is host colonization, which can be difficult in a multispecies environment. Secreting bacteriocins can be beneficial during this process. Bacteriocins are small, ribosomally [...] Read more.
Beta-hemolytic streptococci cause a variety of infectious diseases associated with high morbidity and mortality. A key factor for successful infection is host colonization, which can be difficult in a multispecies environment. Secreting bacteriocins can be beneficial during this process. Bacteriocins are small, ribosomally produced, antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria to inhibit the growth of other, typically closely related, bacteria. In this systematic review, bacteriocin production and regulation of beta-hemolytic streptococci was surveyed. While Streptococcus pyogenes produces eight different bacteriocins (Streptococcin A-FF22/A-M49, Streptin, Salivaricin A, SpbMN, Blp1, Blp2, Streptococcin A-M57), only one bacteriocin of Streptococcus agalactiae (Agalacticin = Nisin P) and one of Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (Dysgalacticin) has been described. Expression of class I bacteriocins is regulated by a two-component system, typically with autoinduction by the bacteriocin itself. In contrast, a separate quorum sensing system regulates expression of class II bacteriocins. Both identified class III bacteriocins are plasmid-encoded and regulation has not been elucidated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beta-Hemolytic Streptococci as Human Pathogens)
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17 pages, 376 KiB  
Review
Streptococcus pyogenes (“Group A Streptococcus”), a Highly Adapted Human Pathogen—Potential Implications of Its Virulence Regulation for Epidemiology and Disease Management
by Nikolai Siemens and Rudolf Lütticken
Pathogens 2021, 10(6), 776; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10060776 - 21 Jun 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6610
Abstract
Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococci; GAS) is an exclusively human pathogen. It causes a variety of suppurative and non-suppurative diseases in people of all ages worldwide. Not all can be successfully treated with antibiotics. A licensed vaccine, in spite of its global importance, [...] Read more.
Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococci; GAS) is an exclusively human pathogen. It causes a variety of suppurative and non-suppurative diseases in people of all ages worldwide. Not all can be successfully treated with antibiotics. A licensed vaccine, in spite of its global importance, is not yet available. GAS express an arsenal of virulence factors responsible for pathological immune reactions. The transcription of all these virulence factors is under the control of three types of virulence-related regulators: (i) two-component systems (TCS), (ii) stand-alone regulators, and (iii) non-coding RNAs. This review summarizes major TCS and stand-alone transcriptional regulatory systems, which are directly associated with virulence control. It is suggested that this treasure of knowledge on the genetics of virulence regulation should be better harnessed for new therapies and prevention methods for GAS infections, thereby changing its global epidemiology for the better. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beta-Hemolytic Streptococci as Human Pathogens)
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