The four species shown in the table (S. pyogenes, S. agalactiae, S. pneumoniae, and S. mutans) have an average pairwise protein sequence identity of about 70%. Bacteriophage
Bacteriophages have been described for many species of Streptococcus. 18 prophages have been described in S. pneumoniae that range in size from 38 to 41 kb in size, encoding from 42 to 66 genes each. Some of the first Streptococcus phages discovered were Dp-1
and ω1 (alias ω-1). In 1981 the Cp (Complutense phage 1, officially Streptococcus virus Cp1, Picovirinae) family was discovered with Cp-1 as its first member. Dp-1 and Cp-1 infect both S. pneumoniae and S. mitis. However, the host ranges of most Streptococcus phages have not been investigated systematically. Natural genetic transformation
Natural genetic transformation involves the transfer of DNA from one bacterium to another through the surrounding medium. Transformation is a complex process dependent on expression of numerous genes. To be capable of transformation a bacterium must enter a special physiologic state referred to as competence. S. pneumoniae, S. mitis and S. oralis can become competent, and as a result actively acquire homologous DNA for transformation by a predatory fratricidal mechanism   This fratricidal mechanism mainly exploits non-competent siblings present in the same niche    Among highly competent isolates of S. pneumoniae, Li et al. showed that nasal colonization fitness and virulence (lung infectivity) depend on an intact competence system. Competence may allow the streptococcal pathogen to use external homologous DNA for recombinational repair of DNA damages caused by the hosts oxidative attack.
The muscle cell may also be disorganized because the aggregates may interrupt other filament structures and/or normal cellular function.Desminopathies are very rare diseases and As of 2004 only 60 patients have been diagnosed, however this number probably does not accurately represent the population due to frequent mis or under diagnosis. Diagnosis
Desminopathies are diagnosed by genetic analysis. Because mutations in several further genes might be pathogenic for skeletal and cardiac myopathies, gene panels or whole exome sequence analysis are mostly used. Sanger sequencing is consequently used to verify NGS-data. Treatment
There is currently no cure for the disease but treatments to help the symptoms are available. Prognosis
Prognosis strongly depends on which subtype of disease it is. Some are deadly in infancy but most are late onset and mostly manageable. References


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