title: Alpha-streptococci as supplementary treatment of recurrent streptococcal tonsillitis: a randomized placebo-controlled study.
abstract: Recurrences are a common finding after antibiotic treatment of acute group A streptococcal tonsillitis. This has been attributed to several factors, among others a disturbed normal throat flora and especially a lack of alpha-streptococci. It thus seems logical in patients with recurrent streptococcal tonsillitis, to restore the normal alpha-streptococcal flora by reimplantation of alpha-streptococci. This was performed in a double blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled study. 36 patients with recurrent streptococcal group A tonsillitis were treated with antibiotics followed by either placebo (19 patients) or a pool of 4 selected alpha-streptococcal strains (17 patients) with good interfering activity against clinical isolates of beta-streptococci. No patient recurred during the first 2 months of follow-up in the alpha-treated group, but 7 in those treated with antibiotics and placebo. After 3 months 1 in the patient group treated with antibiotics and alpha-streptococci and 11 in the placebo-treated group recurred. These results are statistically highly significant and show that recolonisation with alpha-streptococci seems to offer a new way to lower the rate of recurrence in streptococcal throat infections.
authors.affiliation: ENT-Department, Lundby Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Roos
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grahn
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lind
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D012008:Recurrence; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents