Oropharyngeal carriage of macrolide-resistant viridans group streptococci: a prevalence study among healthy adults in Belgium

Objectives : Viridans group streptococci (VGS) are gaining significance as reservoirs of resistance determinants for respiratory tract pathogens. Our aim was to investigate healthy adults for oropharyngeal carriage of VGS that are resistant to macrolides, as well as to other common antibiotics. Methods : Macrolide-resistant VGS were isolated from throat samples of 154 healthy Belgian adults, and phenotyped and genotyped for erm (A), erm (B) and mef (A). In vitro susceptibilities to 10 antimicrobials and the presence of tetracycline resistance genes were also determined. Results : Carriage was... Mehr ...