Virulence insights from ancient strep A

Not many pathogens are as uniquely adapted as Streptococcus pyogenes to cause a variety of infections ranging from strep throat to serious flesh-eating skin infections. Yet, scientists, to date, have had limited knowledge into the extent of diseases strep caused in the past. In a new study, Valverde et al. found the signature of strep in the tooth of a mummified individual from a sea of sequencing data and traced the past of the pathogen.