The epidemiology of Streptococcus pyogenes or group A streptococcal (GAS) infections was marked, in the late 1980s, by an increase in the incidence of invasive infections and the emergence of macrolide-resistant clones. In response to these developments, the National Reference Center (CNR) for Streptococci, in collaboration with the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS), continues to conduct epidemiological surveillance of GAS strains circulating in France and the infections they cause, in order to adjust therapeutic and prophylactic measures and assess the potential impact of future vaccines in our country.