RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 DebRoy, Sruti A1 Li, Xiqi A1 Kalia, Awdhesh A1 Galloway-Pena, Jessica A1 Shah, Brittany J. A1 Fowler, Vance G. A1 Flores, Anthony R. A1 Shelburne, Samuel A.YR 2018 T1 Identification of a chimeric emm gene and novel emm pattern in currently circulating strains of emm4 Group A Streptococcus JF Microbial Genomics, VO 4 IS 11 OP SP e000235 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.000235 PB Microbiology Society, SN 2057-5858, AB Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is classified on the basis of the sequence of the gene encoding the M protein (emm) and the patterns into which emm types are grouped. We discovered a novel emm pattern in emm4 GAS, historically considered pattern E, arising from a fusion event between emm and the adjacent enn gene. We identified the emm–enn fusion event in 51 out of 52 emm4 GAS strains isolated by national surveillance in 2015. GAS isolates with an emm–enn fusion event completely replaced pattern E emm4 strains over a 4-year span in Houston (2013–2017). The novel emm–enn gene fusion and new emm pattern has potential vaccine implications., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.000235