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Inhibitory substances produced by Streptococcus salivarius and colonization of the upper respiratory tract with group A streptococci

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

W. Charles Huskins
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Streptococci, University of Minnesota Medical school, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Edward L. Kaplan*
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Streptococci, University of Minnesota Medical school, Minneapolis, Minnesota
*
Correspondence/reprint requests to: Edward L. Kaplan, Department of Pediatrics. Box 296 UMHC University of Minnesota Medical School. 420 Delaware St. S.E., Minneapolis. MX 55455.
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It has been proposed that inhibitory substances produced by viridans streptococci colonizing the upper respiratory tract aid in cradication of established group A streptococcal colonization of that site. We studied the prevalence of inhibitory-substance producing strains of Streptococcus salivarius in throat cultures from three groups of children: 16 children with persistently positive throat cultures for group A streptococci despite receiving recommended therapeutic courses of antibiotics (group I). 26 children from whom group A streptococci were eradicated from the upper respirator tract by antibiotic therapy (group II). and 18 children who never harboured group A streptococci in their upper respiratory tract during the study period (group Ill). An vitro deferred antagonism method was employed to detect inhibitory substances: 5233 strains of S. salivarius were examined. Strains of S. salivarius producing inhibitory substances were isolated from 76−88% of the children in each group on at least one occasion.However, only a small percentage of subjects in each group harboured strains producing these substances in every throat culture. The mean total percentage of S. salivarius strains producing inhibitory substances was 21·8% in children in group 1·22.4 % in children in group II. and 16.4% in children in group III: these percentages were not statistically different (P > 0·1). In this study, we could not confirm a significant role for inhibitory substances produced by S. salivarius in the eradication of group A streptococci from the upper respiratory tract of colonized individuals.

Type
Special Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

References

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