Scientists at Houston Methodist Research Institute have discovered that a fast-rising strep bacterium comes in more forms than expected, including ones that may lead to life-threatening infections. The study, led by James Musser, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine and director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at Houston Methodist, is published in Microbiology Spectrum. It is the largest U.S. study investigating Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) at this level, as these strep infections are increasing worldwide.