Oral bacteria resistant to mercury and to antibiotics are present in children with no previous exposure to amalgam restorative materials

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 223; no. 1; pp. 107 - 111
• Main Authors: Ready, Derren, Qureshi, Fizza, Bedi, Raman, Mullany, Peter, Wilson, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Elsevier B.V 06.06.2003; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell
• Subjects: Amalgam; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Child, Preschool; Dental Amalgam; Dental Plaque - drug therapy; Dental Plaque - epidemiology; Dental Plaque - microbiology; Disinfectants - pharmacology; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Erythromycin; Erythromycin - pharmacology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Mercuric Chloride - pharmacology; Mercury; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Oral microflora; Prevalence; Streptococcal Infections - drug therapy; Streptococcal Infections - epidemiology; Streptococcal Infections - microbiology; Tetracycline; Tetracycline - pharmacology; Tetracyclines - pharmacology; Viridans streptococci; Viridans Streptococci - drug effects; Viridans Streptococci - growth & development; Amalgam; Erythromycin; Oral microflora; Mercury; Viridans streptococci; Tetracycline; Human; Microflora; Resistance; Antibiotic; Bacteria; Antibacterial agent; Child
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-1097(03)00351-3

Dental plaque from 76 children without amalgam restorations was screened for bacteria resistant to mercuric chloride. Seventy-one per cent of the children harboured mercury-resistant oral bacteria and the median percentage of the total oral microflora resistant to mercuric chloride was 0.007% (range 0–5.3%). Eighty-seven mercury-resistant bacteria were isolated and 86% of these were streptococci with Streptococcus mitis predominating. Sixty per cent of the mercury-resistant isolates were also resistant to at least one of the four antibiotics tested (penicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin and tetracycline) with resistance to tetracycline (40% of isolates) most frequently encountered.