Poster Presentation Lancefield International Symposium for Streptococci and Streptococcal Diseases 2025

Immune Responses In Siblings With Acute Rheumatic Fever – A Case Study (#241)

Natalie Lorenz 1 2 , Reuben McGregor 1 2 , Ciara Ramiah 1 , Francis Middelton 1 , Rhonda Holloway 3 , Julie Bennett 1 2 4 , Rachel Webb 3 5 , Nikki Moreland 1 2
  1. School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
  2. Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, Auckland, New Zealand
  3. Starship Children's Hospital, Auckland Health District, Auckland, New Zealand
  4. Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand
  5. Department of Paediatrics, Child and Youth Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) is a serious post-infectious sequela of Streptococcus A (Strep A) and a major cause of health inequity in Aotearoa New Zealand, with unacceptably high rates among Māori and Pacific children. Pathogenesis remains poorly understood but repeated Strep A infections are thought to prime the immune system and contribute to a loss of tolerance and autoimmune responses. We have previously mapped Strep A exposures using an array of strain type (M-type) specific peptides and revealed ARF patients had serological evidence of significantly more exposures than matched controls1. Here, the same methodology was applied to three siblings: Child A, the index case diagnosed with ARF; a healthy sibling (child B), and child C who was a healthy sibling but developed ARF six months later. Child C had seven M-type reactivities initially, which increased to nine at ARF presentation. In contrast, child B only had serological evidence of two prior Strep A exposures. Antibodies to two M-types in child C, also present in child A, belonging to the E2 cluster-type were new or boosted at ARF presentation suggesting an E2 cluster strain triggered ARF in these siblings. Inflammatory markers and cytokines (C-reactive protein, IL-6 and TNFalpha) were elevated upon ARF diagnosis compared with pre-disease samples from child C and the healthy sibling. This study presents unique insights into Strep A exposure within a family unit and further supports the role for multiple Strep A infections in ARF pathogenesis.

  1. 1. Lorenz, N. et al. Serological Profiling of Group A Streptococcus Infections in Acute Rheumatic Fever. Clin Infect Dis (2021) doi:10.1093/cid/ciab180.