Fibronectin binding protein genes and cell invasion ability of Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from different sources

Abstract

The presence of fibronectin binding protein genes sfb, fba and prtF1 was evaluated by PCR in a collection of Streptococcus pyogenes strains from invasive diseases and from throat swabs. Sfb and fba genes were found in comparable percentage among the two groups, while prtF1 gene was significantly more frequent among isolates from throat. Each emm type appeared to have a peculiar set of fibronectin binding protein genes, also characterized by the same number of tandem repeats. None of the tested genes appeared to be related to the ability of GAS to invade epithelial cells, independently of the source of isolation.