Annals of Clinical Microbiology, The official Journal of the Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology
Research note

Survey of Antimicrobial Resistance of Pharyngeal α-Hemolytic Streptococci among School Children

Eun-Ha Koh, Sunjoo Kim

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju, Korea

Corresponding to Sunjoo Kim, E-mail: sjkim8239@hanmail.net

Ann Clin Microbiol 2008;11(1):69-70.
Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.

Abstract

α-hemolytic streptococci (AHS) are common normal oropharyngeal flora that can transfer antibiotic-resistance genes to Streptococcus pneumoniae. Reports on antibiotic resistance in AHS from throats are rare in Korea. A total of 333 healthy school children were subjected to recovery of AHS from the throat, and antibiotic susceptibility tests were screened with the disk diffusion method. The rate of resistance to erythromycin was 22.2%, to clindamycin 12.0%, and to cefotaxime 3.0%. Whereas the resistance rate of S. pneumoniae to erythromycin exceeds 70% in Korea, pharyngeal AHS showed low resistance rates. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2008;11:69-70)

Keywords

Viridans group streptococci, α-hemolytic streptococci, Antibiotic resistance