Ability to bind salivary alpha-amylase discriminates certain viridans group streptococcal species

A collection of 144 viridans group streptococcal strains recently characterized as part of a taxonomic study was examined for the ability to bind salivary alpha-amylase. This property was found in most strains of Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus mitis and in occasional strains of Streptococcus anginosus and Streptococcus salivarius. In contrast, all strains of Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus vestibularis, and Streptococcus mutans lacked alpha-amylase-binding capacity. A rapid and easy assay described in this paper may be an important supplementary test for identification of oral streptococci.