[Genomic characterization of group A <i>Streptococcus</i> of different <i>emm</i>-type in Tianjin City from 2011 to 2024].

To characterize the genomes of different <i>emm</i>-type group A <i>Streptococcus</i> (GAS), their virulence genes and drug resistance profiles in Tianjin City from 2011 to 2024. After PCR, a total of 42 strains with different years and <i>emm</i> types were selected for whole genome sequencing and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), and the core genomes were used to generate a phylogenetic tree, after which the virulence genes and resistance genes were identified and analyzed, followed by the drug susceptibility test. In this study, the GAS strains were dominated by <i>emm</i>1 (50.0%) and <i>emm</i>12 (40.4%), and the MLST phenotypes were categorized into six types: ST36 (40.4%), ST1274 (26.1%), ST28 (23.8%), ST921 (4.7%), ST46 (2.3%), and ST403 (2.3%). There was a high consistency between their <i>emm</i>-types and ST types. A total of 68 virulence genes were detected in the genomes of 42 GAS strains, involving functional genes encoding exotoxin, bacterial adhesion, extracellular enzymes, etc. The virulence genes they carried were significantly different between <i>emm</i>1-type and <i>emm</i>12-type strains, such as <i>speA</i>. At the same time, the carrying rates of some virulence genes in the same <i>emm</i>-type strains changed with time, such as <i>hyl</i>. The resistance genes were basically the same among different <i>emm-</i>type strains except for the <i>vanSE</i> gene detected in all <i>emm</i>12 strains. The results of drug sensitivity showed that the GAS strains isolated in Tianjin City from 2011 to 2024 were sensitive to penicillin, cefazolin, chloramphenicol, vancomycin, and levofloxacin, while the resistance rates to erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, and clindamycin ranged from 88.5% to 100.0%, and there was a certain degree of consistency between the resistance phenotypes and the detected resistance genes. Overall, the main <i>emm</i> types and evolutionary features of GAS in Tianjin City from 2011 to 2024 were consistent with the dominant types in China, and the carrying rate of virulence genes and drug resistance genes differed significantly among different <i>emm</i>-type strains, and there were continuous evolution and variation in the prevalence of virulence genes in GAS.