Phenotypic homogeneity among organisms within single colonies from oropharyngeal swabs taken from pediatric patients with pharyngitis.

<p>Phenotypic homogeneity among organisms within single colonies from oropharyngeal swabs taken from pediatric patients with pharyngitis.</p

Phenotypic homogeneity among organisms within single colonies from oropharyngeal swabs taken from pediatric patients with pharyngitis.

<p>Phenotypic homogeneity among organisms within single colonies from oropharyngeal swabs taken from pediatric patients with pharyngitis.</p

Phenotype homogeneity among single colony picks from oropharyngeal swabs taken from pediatric patients with pharyngitis.

<p>Phenotype homogeneity among single colony picks from oropharyngeal swabs taken from pediatric patients with pharyngitis.</p

Characteristics and diversity of GAS isolates under analysis.

<p>Characteristics and diversity of GAS isolates under analysis.</p

Study sample composition and SpeB production according to <i>emm</i> pattern group and <i>emm</i> clade.

<p>All GAS isolates under study were assigned to an <i>emm</i> pattern group and <i>emm</i> clade, based on their <i>emm</i> type. Panels A and C: The <i>emm</i> pattern (panel A: pattern A-C, black; pattern D, speckled; pattern E, gray) and clade (panel C: clade X, speckled; clade Y, black) distributions (%) of each disease-defined subset of GAS strains is shown. Panels B and D: The fractional distributions of SpeB producers (dark gray) and SpeB non-producers (light gray) are plotted. SpeB phenotype is based on the Columbia-SM agar assay. The statistical significance of differences was tested using the Fisher exact test (2-tailed; ** for <i>p</i> < 0.01).</p

SpeB activity phenotype correlates with GAS disease.

<p>SpeB activity phenotype correlates with GAS disease.</p