This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (9)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Persistence of Group A -Hemolytic Streptococci in Toothbrushes and Removable Orthodontic Appliances Following Treatment of Pharyngotonsillitis

Itzhak Brook, MD, MSc; Alan E. Gober, MD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1998;124:993-995.

Objective  To investigate the persistence of group A -hemolytic streptococci (GABHS) in toothbrushes and removable orthodontic appliances (ROAs) in children who suffer from acute GABHS pharyngotonsillitis and the association with penicillin treatment failure.

Setting  Private practice setting.

Patients and Methods  Pharyngotonsillar and toothbrush cultures were obtained from 104 children with acute GABHS pharyngotonsillitis before and after 10 days of penicillin V potassium therapy. Cultures of ROAs were also obtained from 21 children. The persistence of GABHS in 10 daily rinsed and 10 nonrinsed toothbrushes was studied in vitro.

Results  Group A -hemolytic streptococci were isolated from 11 (11%) of the toothbrushes and 18 (17%) of the patients after the completion of penicillin therapy. Toothbrushes of 5 (28%) of the 18 children who harbored GABHS were colonized with the organism. Group A -hemolytic streptococci were also isolated from 4 (19%) of 21 ROAs after therapy. In vitro studies illustrated the persistence of GABHS in nonrinsed toothbrushes for up to 15 days. In contrast, the organism was not isolated from rinsed toothbrushes beyond day 3.

Conclusion  Toothbrushes and ROAs that harbor GABHS may contribute to the persistence of GABHS in the oropharynx and may account for the failure of penicillin therapy in some cases of pharyngotonsillitis.

From the Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Explaining the Poor Bacteriologic Eradication Rate of Single-Dose Ceftriaxone in Group A Streptococcal Tonsillopharyngitis: A Reverse Engineering Solution Using Pharmacodynamic Modeling
Blumer et al.
Pediatrics 2005;116:927-932.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

SUBACUTE BACTERIAL ENDOCARDITIS: CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE PEDIATRIC PATIENT
SOXMAN
Journal of the American Dental Association 2000;131:668-669.
FULL TEXT  

Contaminated Toothbrushes and Pharyngitis
Fischer
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1999;125:479-479.
FULL TEXT