High proportion of pharyngeal carriers of commensal streptococci resistant to erythromycin in Spanish adults

The presence of erythromycin-resistant (ErR) commensal streptococci in the throat of 110 healthy subjects and 87 patients with pharyngitis was investigated. The resistance determinants were studied by PCR using the primers for mef and erm genes, followed by hybridization and sequencing analysis. Ove...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy 2001-08, Vol.48 (2), p.225-229
Main Authors: Pérez-Trallero, Emilio, Vicente, Diego, Montes, Milagrosa, Marimon, José M., Piñeiro, Luis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology
Antibacterial agents
Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents
Biological and medical sciences
Carrier State - drug therapy
Carrier State - microbiology
Drug Resistance, Bacterial - genetics
erm gene
Erythromycin - pharmacology
Humans
Medical sciences
mef gene
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Pharyngitis - drug therapy
Pharyngitis - microbiology
Spain
Streptococcal Infections - drug therapy
Streptococcal Infections - microbiology
Streptococcus mitis
Streptococcus oralis
Streptococcus pneumoniae
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Summary:The presence of erythromycin-resistant (ErR) commensal streptococci in the throat of 110 healthy subjects and 87 patients with pharyngitis was investigated. The resistance determinants were studied by PCR using the primers for mef and erm genes, followed by hybridization and sequencing analysis. Overall, 94.4% of the subjects carried one or more ErR strains in their pharynx. A total of 253 ErR strains was studied: 127 (50.2%) showed constitutive or inducible resistance to clindamycin (MLSB phenotype) and 126 (49.8%) were susceptible to clindamycin (M phenotype). In 50 subjects (25.4%) both phenotypes were detected. The ermB gene was predominant among the MLSB phenotype strains (97.6%). The mefA (mefA/mefE) gene was detected in 100% of the strains with the M phenotype. One Streptococcus oralis strain bearing the MLSB phenotype carried both mefA and ermB genes. The mefA gene from clinical isolates of Streptococcus mitis and S. oralis was transferred by conjugation to an erythromycin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae strain.
ISSN:0305-7453
1460-2091
1460-2091
DOI:10.1093/jac/48.2.225