title: Reduced susceptibility to penicillin of viridans group streptococci in the oral cavity of patients with haematological disease.
abstract: The occurrence of oral penicillin-resistant viridans group streptococci (VGS) was studied in 50 patients with either newly diagnosed acute leukaemia or autologous peripheral stem cell transplants. One patient was excluded because of Staphylococcus aureus growth in the stem cell harvest. VGS were isolated from the oral cavity of 48 of the remaining 49 patients. Of these 48 patients, 12 (25%) yielded VGS resistant (MIC > 2 mg/L) to penicillin. These 12 patients had a higher frequency of septicaemia (p 0.04) and more days of treatment with trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole (p 0.04) than patients who harboured susceptible or intermediately resistant VGS (MIC 2 mg/L). There were no other statistically significant differences between the two groups. It is important to be aware of the high level of penicillin resistance in oral VGS in patients with haematological disease, and this parameter should be considered when selecting antibiotic therapy for cases of septicaemia caused by VGS in immunocompromised patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Katarina.Westling@medhs.ki.se
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Westling
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Julander
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ljungman
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heimdahl
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thalme
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Nord
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology*; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D013548:Sweden; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination / Q000494:pharmacology; D034363:Viridans Streptococci / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination