The present invention relates to a peptide consisting of one antigen of Streptococcus pyogenes ( S. pyogenes ) of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a functional active variant thereof, optionally further consisting of additional amino acid residue(s); a nucleic acid coding for the same; a pharmaceutical composition, especially a vaccine, comprising said peptide or said nucleic acid; an antibody or functional active fragment thereof specifically binding to the antigen; a hybridoma cell line which produces said antibody; a method for producing said antibody; a pharmaceutical composition comprising said antibody; the use of said peptide or said nucleic acid for the manufacture of a medicament for the immunization or treatment of a subject; the use of said antibody or functional fragment thereof for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of an infection; a method of diagnosing a S. pyogenes infection; a method for identifying a ligand capable of binding to said peptide; and the use of said peptide for the isolation and/or purification and/or identification of an interaction partner of the peptide.