MINI REVIEW article
Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Bacteria and Host
T cells in Group A Streptococcus infection: protection or pathology
- LM
Liya Mathew 1,2,3
- MA
Mohammad Ali 4,5
- HT
Hermaleigh Townsley 6,7,8
- AH
Alice Halliday 1,2,9
- PK
paul Klenerman 4,10,11
- TD
Thushan de Silva 6,7,8,12,13
- AG
Anu Goenka 1,2,9,14
1. Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences Building, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
2. Bristol Medical School, Bristol Vaccine Centre, Bristol, United Kingdom
3. NIHR Health Protection Research Focus Award in Vaccines and Immunisation, Bristol, United Kingdom
4. University of Oxford Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, Oxford, United Kingdom
5. Bangladesh Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
6. The Florey Institute of Infection, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
7. NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
8. Division of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
9. University of Bristol, NIHR Health Protection Research Focus Award in Vaccines and Immunisation, Bristol, United Kingdom
10. Translational Gastroenterology and Liver Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
11. NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
12. Vaccines and Immunity Theme, MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Fajara, Gambia
13. Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Disease, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
14. Paediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Bristol, United Kingdom
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Abstract
Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus; GAS) is a World Health Organization (WHO) priority pathogen for vaccine development. GAS vaccine development and trials have been impeded by a poor understanding of GAS immunity, and to date no correlate of protection has been identified. The predominant focus of efforts has been to establish antibody correlates of protection. However, T cell immunity may provide important contributions to clinical protection from GAS. This is supported by a possible relationship between the life-course ontogeny of T cell reactivity and repertoire compared with age-related GAS epidemiology. T cells are also the target of superantigens, a key GAS virulence mechanism. Furthermore, T cells have important functions in protection against other extracellular respiratory bacteria. Here, we explore immune risk factors associated with GAS epidemiology and clinical manifestations highlighting the dual protective (e.g. GAS-specific Th17 cells) and pathogenic (e.g. CD8+ T cells) role of T cells in GAS infection and how this could be harnessed in future research.
Summary
Keywords
correlates of protection, Gas, Streptococcus pyogenes, T cells, Vaccines
Received
08 May 2026
Accepted
10 July 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Mathew, Ali, Townsley, Halliday, Klenerman, de Silva and Goenka. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Anu Goenka
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.