Penicillin resistance in the subgingival microbiota associated with adult periodontitis

In this investigation, the penicillin-resistant and beta-lactamase-producing subgingival microbiota associated with adult periodontitis was identified, and the impact of a recent exposure to penicillin on the recovery of resistant organisms from this microbiota was assessed. Subjects with adult periodontitis were examined clinically and microbiologically. Twenty-one subjects had a documented history of penicillin therapy within the previous 6 months whereas an additional 21 subjects had no history of antibiotic use within 1 year. Subgingival plaque samples were cultured anaerobically on nonselective and penicillin-containing elective media. MICs and beta-lactamase production were determined for the isolates from the elective medium. The penicillin-resistant microbiota consisted primarily of gram-negative organisms, including Bacteroides, Veillonella, Haemophilus, Eikenella, and Capnocytophaga species. The prevalence (P less than 0.05) and proportions (P less than 0.005) of both penicillin-resistant pigmented Bacteroides and Veillonella species were significantly greater in subjects with recent penicillin exposure. Of the penicillin-resistant genera identified, beta-lactamase production was detected in species of pigmented Bacteroides, Capnocytophaga, and Streptococcus. The prevalence of beta-lactamase-producing Bacteroides species was significantly greater in subjects with recent penicillin exposure (P less than 0.05). Of the antibiotics examined, no single agent was uniformly effective against all of the penicillin-resistant strains, but metronidazole and clindamycin were active against all of the penicillin-resistant pigmented Bacteroides strains.