Penicillin Resistance of Streptococci and Staphylococci in a Penicillin Dentifrice Study

Abstract

Throat swabs were taken from 190 children having received a tooth powder containing 500 U. of penicillin/g. and 154 children with no penicillin added for 2 yrs., to study penicillin sensitivity of streptococci and staphylococci isolated from these throats. Alpha hemolytic streptococci as the predominating organism had an incidence of 40% in the treated group and 39% in the control group, pneumococci were found in frequency of 38% and 30%, respectively, as the predominating organism. Non-hemolytic Staphylococcus aureus and beta-hemolytic streptococci comprised numbers 3 and 4, respectively. In both groups the sensitivity of organisms was well within the range normally found for these organisms. The avg. sensitivity value was higher in the penicillin group than in the control group for streptococci; the reverse was true with staphylococci isolated. Since the results were sufficiently comparable in both groups, it was concluded that penicillin did not induce an acquired resistance in the groups of streptococci and staphylococci isolated from the throats.