Survey of Antimicrobial Resistance of Pharyngeal alpha-Hemolytic Streptococci among School Children / 대한임상미생물학회지

ABSTRACT

alpha-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.