Emerging Invasive Group A <i>Streptococcus</i> M1 _UK Lineage Detected by Allele-Specific PCR, England, 20201

Abstract

Increasing reports of invasive Streptococcus pyogenes infections mandate surveillance for toxigenic lineage M1_UK. An allele-specific PCR was developed to distinguish M1_UK from other emm1 strains. The M1_UK lineage represented 91% of invasive emm1 isolates in England in 2020. Allele-specific PCR will permit surveillance for M1_UK without need for genome sequencing.