Ninety-one Streptococcus milleri strains isolated from various systemic purulent lesions of 68 patients were examined by physiological and serological tests. Most strains formed a smooth colony (66 strains), did not form spontaneous aggregation of cells in BHI broth culture (79), were non-β-haemolytic (α-35 or non-41), and belonged to biotype Ia (49) or Ib (34) and to API taxa S. milleri I (41) or II (38). Almost all of the β-haemolytic strains as well as two-fifths of the non-β-haemolytic belonged to API taxon I; strains of API taxa II and III were non-β-haemolytic and non-haemolytic, respectively. Two-fifths (38) of the isolates belonged to one of eight serotypes, a—g and k, and more than half (47) to Lancefield groups A, C, F or G, the most frequent being type b (19) and group F (33). Fifteen strains carried simultaneously type a/group A, b/C, c/C, e/G, f/F or k/G antigens. Nineteen were neither typable nor groupable. All the 38 serotypable isolates were non-β-haemolytic and not members of API taxon III, and were serologically and physiologically similar to oral S. milleri. The isolates from various infected sites—sputum, thorax, abdomen, urogenitalia, skin, eye and dental—exhibited distinct combinations of biological and serological properties. These results suggest that serotyping, haemolytic properties and API taxon, and their combinations, would be useful methods to trace oral S. milleri in systemic infections.
FacklamR. R. The major differences in the American and British streptococcus taxonomy schemes with special reference to Streptococcus milleri. Eur J Clin Microbiol1984; 3:91–93
ColmanG.,
WilliamsR. E. O. Taxonomy of some human viridians streptococci. In
WannamakerL. W.,
MatsenJ. M.
(eds) Streptococci and streptococcal diseases New York: Academic Press; 1972281–299
CoykendallA. L.,
WesbecherP. M.,
GustafsonK. B. “Streptococcus milleri”, Streptococcus constellatus, and Streptococcus intermedius are later synonyms of Streptococcus anginosus. Int J Syst Bacteriol1987; 37:222–228
WhileyR. A.,
FraserH.,
HardieJ. M.,
BeightonD. Phenotypic differentiation of Streptococcus intermedins, Streptococcus constellatus, and Streptococcus anginosus strains within the “Streptococcus milleri group”. J Clin Microbiol1990; 28:1497–1501
WhileyR. A.,
HardieJ. M. DNA-DNA hybridization studies and phenotypic characteristics of strains within the ‘Streptococcus milleri group’. J Gen Microbiol1989; 135:2623–2633
HardieJ. M. Oral streptococci. In
SneathP. H. A.,
MairN. S.,
SharpeM. E.,
HoltJ. G.
(eds) Bergey’s Manual of systematic bacteriology vol 2 Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins; 19861054–1063
YakushijiT.,
KatsukiM.,
YoshimitsuA.,
MizunoJ.,
InoueM. Isolation and physiological characterization of Streptococcus milleri strains from human dental plaque. Microbios1988; 55:161–171
YakushijiT.,
KitadaK.,
OkitaY.,
InoueM. Distribution of Streptococcus milleri in the oral cavities of Japanese children. Microb Ecol Health Dis1990; 3:171–179
GuthofO. Uberpathogene, “vergrünende Streptokokken”. Streptokokken-Befundebeidentogenen Abszessen und Infiltratenim Bereich der Mundhöhle. Zbl Bakteriol Parasitenkd Infektionskr Hyg Abt I Orig1956; 166:553–564
PhillipsI.,
WarrenC.,
HarrisonJ. M.,
SharpiesP.,
BallL. C.,
ParkerM. T. Antibiotic susceptibility of streptococci from the mouth and blood of patients treated with penicillin or lincomycin and clindamycin. J Med Microbiol1976; 9:393–404