Antibiotic resistance in the cultivable plaque microbiota of children from different ethnic groups.
The presence of ampicillin-, penicillin-, erythromycin- and tetracycline-resistant bacteria in the dental plaque of White, South Asian and Japanese children was investigated. There was a high prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in children from diverse ethnic groups. The median percentage of the cultivable plaque microbiota that was resistant to tetracycline was greater in South Asian (2.9%, range 0.1-17.5%) and Japanese (7.7%, range 1.3-56.2%) children than in White children (0.7%, range 0-5.6%), suggesting that ethnic differences exist in the oral load of tetracycline-resistant bacteria (P<0.01). Multiresistant bacteria were frequently isolated, with 42% of isolates exhibiting resistance to two or more antibiotics. This study has demonstrated that antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be readily isolated from the plaque microbiota of children from different ethnic groups.
Ready
D
D
Eastman Dental Hospital, UCLH NHS Foundation Trust, 256 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8LD, UK. d.ready@eastman.ucl.ac.uk
Lancaster
H
H
Mullany
P
P
Bedi
R
R
Wilson
M
M
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D044466:Asian People; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D044465:White People
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents