Unravelling the drivers of scarlet fever pandemics

Summary Outbreaks of scarlet fever associated with multi-drug resistant Group A Streptococci (GAS) have occurred recently in both Asia and the United Kingdom, placing a serious strain on health systems. This project applies genomic epidemiology approaches to examine the emergence and transmission of GAS clones and associated mobile genetic elements within a global context.

Project Details

Outbreaks of scarlet fever associated with multi-drug resistant Group A Streptococci (GAS) have occurred recently in both Asia and the United Kingdom, placing a serious strain on health systems. This project applies genomic epidemiology approaches to examine the emergence and transmission of GAS clones and associated mobile genetic elements within a global context. Specifically, we will examine the population structure of scarlet fever associated lineages, apply statistical genetic models to identify common disease signatures and examine the movement of mobile genetic elements to this alarming health problem.