FAMILIAL TRANSMISSION OF A SERIOUS DISEASE-PRODUCING GROUP-A STREPTOCOCCUS CLONE - CASE-REPORTS AND REVIEW

Invasive group A streptococcus (GAS) infections are emerging diseases; however, person to-person transmission of invasive GAS producing life -threatening infection has been observed rarely. We report a small int rafamilial cluster of life-threatening GAS infections. A previously he althy 47-year-old father developed necrotizing fasciitis of the neck. Two days later, his 16-year-old daughter developed streptococcal angin a, pneumonia, and pleural empyema. Both patients had signs of streptoc occal toxic shock syndrome. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis revealed that the M6 strains of GAS isolated from the father and daughter had i dentical patterns. Cases of person-to-person transmission of invasive GAS infection reported in the literature are also reviewed.