Outbreak column 5: Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococci) (GAS)

Best M Neuhauser D . (2004) Ignaz Semmelweis and the birth of infection control. Quality and Safety in Health Care 13(3): 233–4.

Cummins A Millership S Lamagni T Foster K . (2012) Control measures for invasive group A streptococci (iGAS) outbreaks in care homes. Journal of Infection 64(2): 156–61.

Daneman N McGeer A Low DE Tyrrell G Simor AE McArthur M Schwartz B Jessamine P Croxford R Green KA . (2005) Hospital-acquired invasive group a streptococcal infections in Ontario, Canada, 1992–2000. Clinical Infectious Diseases 41(3): 334–42.

Daneman N Green KA Low DE Simor AE Willey B Schwartz B Toye B Jessamine P Tyrrell GJ Krajden S Ramage L Rose D Schertzberg R Bragg D McGeer A . (2007) Surveillance for hospital outbreaks of invasive group A streptococcal infections in Ontario, Canada, 1992 to 2000. Annals of Internal Medicine 147(4): 234–41.

Deutscher M Schillie S Gould C Baumbach J Mueller M Avery C Van Beneden CA . (2011) Investigation of a group A streptococcal outbreak among residents of a long-term acute care hospital. Clinical Infectious Diseases 52(8): 988–94.

Felkner M Pascoe N Shupe-Ricksecker K Goodman E . (2005) The wound care team: a new source of group A streptococcal nosocomial transmission. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology 26(5): 462–5.

Inkster T Wright P Kane H Paterson E Dodd S Slorach J . (2012) Successive outbreaks of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) in care of the elderly settings; lessons learned. Journal of Infection Prevention 13(2): 38–43.

Jordan HT Richards CL Burton DC Thigpen MC Van Beneden CA . (2007) Group A streptococcal disease in long-term care facilities: descriptive epidemiology and potential control measures. Clinical Infectious Diseases 45(6): 742–52.

Kakis A Gibbs L Eguia J Kimura J Vogelei D Troup N Stevens D Kaplan EL Johnson DR Conte JE (2002) An outbreak of group A Streptococcal infection among health care workers. Clinical Infectious Diseases 35(11): 1353–9.

Katzenell U Shemer J Bar-Dayan Y . (2001) Streptococcal contamination of food: an unusual cause of epidemic pharyngitis. Epidemiology and Infection 127(2): 179–84.

Kolmos HJ Svendsen RN Nielsen SV . (1997) The surgical team as a source of postoperative wound infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes. Journal of Hospital Infection 35(3): 207–14.

Milne LM Lamagni T Efstratiou A Foley C Gilman J Lilley M Guha S Head F Han T . (2011) Streptococcus pyogenes cluster in a care home in England April to June 2010. Euro Surveillance 16(47): 20021.

Nolan L Schertzberg R Wilson-Clark S McGeer A Pellizzari R Steingart C . (2008) Outbreak of invasive group A streptococcal disease in two hospitals, Ontario, 2003. Canada Communicable Disease Report 34(4): 8–19.

O’Brien KL Beall B Barrett NL Cieslak PR Reingold A Farley MM Danila R Zell ER Facklam R Schwartz B Schuchat A . (2002) Epidemiology of invasive group A streptococcus disease in the United States, 1995–1999. Clinical Infectious Diseases 35(3): 268–76.

Sherertz RJ Bassetti S Bassetti-Wyss B . (2001) “Cloud” health-care workers. Emerging Infectious Diseases 7(2): 241–4.

Steer JA Lamagni T Healy B Morgan M Dryden M Rao B Sriskandan S George R Efstratiou A Baker F Baker A Marsden D Murphy E Fry C Irvine N Hughes R Wade P Cordery R Cummins A Oliver I Jokinen M McMenamin J Kearney J . (2012) Guidelines for prevention and control of group A streptococcal infection in acute healthcare and maternity settings in the UK. Journal of Infection 64(1): 1–18.

The prevention of invasive group A Streptococcal Infections Workshop Participants. (2002) Prevention of invasive group A streptococcal disease among household contacts of case patients and among postpartum and postsurgical patients: recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clinical Infectious Diseases 35(8): 950–9.

Wagenvoort JH Penders RJ Davies BI Lutticken R . (2005) Similar environmental survival patterns of Streptococcus pyogenes strains of different epidemiologic backgrounds and clinical severity. European Journal of Clinical Microbiological Infectious Diseases 24(1): 65–7.

Wasserzug O Valinsky L Klement E Bar-Zeev Y Davidovitch N Orr N Korenman Z Kayouf R Sela T Ambar R Derazne E Dagan R Zarka S . (2009) A cluster of ecthyma outbreaks caused by a single clone of invasive and highly infective Streptococcus pyogenes. Clinical Infectious Diseases 48(9): 1213–9.