The oral streptococci have undergone considerable taxonomic revision in recent years but there is still little information concerning associations between the newly defined species and disease. This study examined the identities of 47 strains of oral streptococci collected from 42 confirmed cases of infective endocarditis. By means of recently described physiological schemes, the most common sp...

The nucleotide sequence of a 3,378-bp DNA fragment of Streptococcus pneumoniae that included the structural gene for penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 1a (ponA), which encodes 719 amino acids, was determined. Homologous DNA fragments from an S. oralis strain were amplified with ponA-specific oligonucleotides. The 2,524-bp S. oralis sequence contained the coding region for the first 636 amino aci...

This was an in vitro study that aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of propolis extract caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on four different oral microorganisms. Seven concentrations CAPE (0.2, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 mg/mL) for use against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, oralis, salivarius were determined using minimum inhibition concentration (MIC), bactericidal (MBC), b...

Highly penicillin- and cephalosporin-resistant Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus oralis were isolated in Spain, Hungary, and Berlin. With chromosomal DNA of these strains, resistant transformants of Streptococcus pneumoniae were obtained that expressed low-affinity variants of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) 2x, 1a, 2a, and 2b in different combinations, depending on the selective conditi...

The coaggregation receptor polysaccharides (RPS) of Streptococcus oralis and related species are recognized by lectin-like adhesins on other members of the oral biofilm community and by RPS-specific antibodies. The former interactions involve beta-GalNAc or beta-Gal containing host-like motifs in the oligosaccharide repeating units of these polysaccharides, whereas the latter involves features ...

Guedes-Pinto paste is the filling material most employed in Brazil for endodontic treatment of deciduous teeth; however, the Rifocort® ointment has been removed. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial potential of filling pastes, by proposing three new pharmacological associations to replace Rifocort® ointment with drugs of already established antimicrobial power: Neba...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of dentifrices containing the hydroalcoholic extract of the ripe fruit of Eugenia uniflora L. (Surinam cherry) on Streptococcus oralis (ATCC 10557) and Lactobacillus casei (ATCC 7469). Five dentifrices were used: D1: containing hydroalcoholic extract of Eugenia uniflora L.; D2: containing fluoride and hydroalcoholic extract of Eugenia ...

Members of the Mitis group of streptococci possess teichoic acids (TAs) as integral components of their cell wall that are unique among Gram-positive bacteria. Both, lipoteichoic (LTA) and wall teichoic acid, are formed by the same biosynthetic pathway, are of high complexity and contain phosphorylcholine (P-Cho) residues. These residues serve as anchors for choline-binding proteins (CBPs), som...

Sir, Many studies have demonstrated a trend towards decreased antimicrobial susceptibility in viridans group streptococci isolated from blood cultures.1,2 This raises concerns when this group of organisms cause more serious infections, such as infective endocarditis, when penicillin resistance can create therapeutic difficulties.3 However, few routine data are available on the susceptibility of...