Patent

1. An isolated polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, or 33.

2. An isolated polypeptide according to claim 1 , wherein the N-terminal Met residue of SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 6, 8, or 33 is deleted.

3. A composition comprising the polypeptide according to claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, diluent or adjuvant.

4. A composition comprising the polypeptide according to claim 2 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, diluent or adjuvant.

5. A method for therapeutic treatment of a Streptococcus pyogenes infection in an individual, comprising administering to said individual a therapeutic amount of the polypeptide of claim 1 .

6. A method for therapeutic treatment of a Streptococcus pyogenes infection in an individual, comprising administering to said individual a therapeutic amount of the polypeptide of claim 2 .

7. An isolated BVH-P1 polypeptide which is encoded by a polynucleotide that is capable of being amplified by polymerase chain reaction from DNA using oligonucleotides of SEQ ID NO: 26 and SEQ ID NO: 27, wherein said polypeptide has at least 95% sequence identity along its entire length to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 or 33, and which is capable of eliciting antibodies specific to Streptococcus pyogenes, wherein said polypeptide does not have the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 31.

8. The isolated BVH-P1 polypeptide of claim 7 , wherein said DNA is Streptococcus pyogenes genomic DNA.

9. The Anisolated polypeptide of claim 7 , wherein said polypeptide has more than 97% sequence identity.

10. An isolated polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 20 wherein the polypeptide does not comprise the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 31.

11. The polypeptide according to claim 10 , wherein the N-terminal Met residue of SEQ ID NO: 20 is deleted.