Antibiotic Susceptibilities of Genetically Characterized Streptococcus milleri Group Strains

Previous studies of the antibiotic susceptibility of Streptococcus milleri group organisms have distinguished among species by using phenotypic techniques. Using 44 isolates that were speciated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we studied the MICs and minimum bactericidal concentrations of penicillin, ampicillin, ceftriaxone, and clindamycin for Streptococcus intermedius, Streptococcus constellatus, and Streptococcus anginosus. None of the organisms was resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics, although a few isolates were intermediately resistant; one strain of S. anginosus was tolerant to ampicillin, and another was tolerant to ceftriaxone. Six isolates were resistant to clindamycin, with representation from each of the three species. Relatively small differences in antibiotic susceptibilities among species of the S. milleri group show that speciation is unlikely to be important in selecting an antibiotic to treat infection caused by one of these isolates.