The biochemical characteristics of A. pyogenes and APL organisms using the API 20 Strep kit are given in Table 1. No major differences were observed between A. pyogenes and APLs in biochemical tests, such as hippurate and esculin hydrolysis; alkaline phosphatase, β-galactosidase, and leucine aminopeptidase activities; and fermentations of ribose, lactose, starch, and glycogen.