Hospital personnel with penicillin-resistant Streptococcus viridans. A case for special consideration in the prevention of bacterial endocarditis

• Published in: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology Vol. 58; no. 4; pp. 394 - 396
• Main Authors: Leviner, E, Tzukert, A, Wolf, A, Shauli, S, Sela, M N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.1984
• Subjects: Carrier State - microbiology; Cross Infection - microbiology; Endocarditis, Bacterial - prevention & control; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Mouth - microbiology; Penicillin Resistance; Streptococcal Infections - microbiology; Streptococcus - drug effects; Streptococcus - isolation & purification; Streptococcus viridans
• ISSN: 0030-4220
• DOI: 10.1016/0030-4220(84)90330-x

Penicillin is the drug of choice for the prevention of bacterial endocarditis (BE) resulting from dental treatment. The susceptibility of Streptococcus viridans to this antimicrobial agent was studied. A representative sample of hospital personnel (N = 76) was compared to a control group of seventy-six subjects who were not associated with the hospital. Twenty-four of the hospital personnel worked in wards that consume 0.13 to 1.64 (mean +/- SD = 0.88 +/- 0.64) gm penicillin per day per position (low consumption group = LCG) and fifty-two worked in wards that consume 2.27 to 3.67 (mean +/- SD = 3.04 +/- 0.55) gm penicillin per day per position (high consumption group = HCG). Antibiograms of oral isolates showed that, while 48.08% of the subjects from the HCG revealed penicillin-resistant S. viridans only 8.33% of the subjects from the LCG and 7.89% of the control group presented such results. The data presented suggest that there are subjects who may unknowingly carry penicillin-resistant S. viridans as part of their oral flora. It is therefore recommended that the preferable antibiotic used for the prevention of BE should be determined by an antibiogram.