Global genomic epidemiology of Streptococcus pyogenes

Streptococcus pyogenes is one of the Top 10 human infectious disease killers worldwide causing a range of clinical manifestations in humans. Colonizing a range of ecological niches within its sole host, the human, is key to the ability of this opportunistic pathogen to cause direct and post-infectious manifestations. The expansion of genome sequencing capabilities and data availability over the last decade has led to an improved understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of this pathogen within a global framework where epidemiological relationships and evolutionary mechanisms may not be universal. This review uses the recent publication by Davies et al., 2019 as an updated global framework to address S. pyogenes population genomics, highlighting how genomics is being used to gain new insights into evolutionary processes, transmission pathways, and vaccine design.