Invasive Infections Due to Streptococcus pyogenes in the Czech Republic

The active surveillance of invasive infections (in particular sepsis, meningitis, toxic shock-like syndrome and necrotising fasciitis) caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, a group A Streptococcus (GAS), was initiated in the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for Streptococcus and Enterococcus in Prague in July 1994. The aims of the surveillance are timely detection of outbreaks and/or clusters of these diseases, determination of trends in the overall number of cases, monitoring clinical manifestations, strain typing and determination of the restriction-fragment profiles of the strains belonging to the most frequently found serotypes and detection and determination of distribution of the invasive (I) profile among the strains.1 All strains were tested for susceptibility to selected disinfectants used in the Czech Republic. Forty-three strains of Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from severe infections with complicated courses accompanied with charts containing all data needed were sent to the NRL from July 1994 to July 1996. Thirty-one additional cases were excluded as not consistent with the case definition of invasive GAS infections.