AMPICILLIN-RESISTANT HEMOPHILUS IN THE OROPHARYNX - PREVALENCE IN 3 GROUPS OF YOUNG, MIDDLE-CLASS CHILDREN

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 72  (4) , 464-468
Abstract
Infections caused by ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae type b are prevalent in Fairfax County, Virginia, USA. To gain information on pharyngeal carriage of ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae, oropharyngeal cultures were obtianed from 249 young children. The study population comprised 3 groups: 90 healthy children (group A), 79 children who had finished a 10-day course of amoxicillin treatment for acute otitis media (group B) and 80 children who were brought to the office for treatment of purulent nasopharyngitis (group C); .apprx. 60% of the children in each group carried Haemophilus in the oropharynx. H. parainfluenzae was the predominant oropharyngeal species in group A. H. influenzae was predominant in the other 2 groups. Ampicillin-resistant Haemophilus sp. organisms were recovered from 16% of children in group A, 25% of those in group B and 17% of patients in group C. Recent exposure to ampicillin was associated with an increase in the recovery of ampicillin-resistant strains of Haemophilus.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: