H(2)O(2) formation by Streptococcus mitis was measured by the catalase-dependent conversion of [(14)C]formate to (14)CO(2) ; it was optimal at pH 6.0-6.5 and required glucose. The H(2)O(2) formed by S. mitis could be employed as a component of an antimicrobial system that also included lactoperoxidase (LPO) and either iodide or thiocyanate ions in the concentrations present in saliva. The antim...

Streptococcus mitis bv. 1 is a pioneer colonizer of the human oral cavity. Studies of its population dynamics within parents and their infants and within neonates have shown extensive diversity within and between subjects. We examined the genetic diversity and clonal turnover of S. mitis bv. 1 isolated from the cheeks, tongue, and primary incisors of four infants from birth to 1 year of age. In...

Glycerol teichoic acids were not detected immunochemically or chemically in phenol-water, hot saline (Rantz and Randall), or supernatant fluids of disrupted cells of Streptococcus mitis. Thus teichoic acids do not appear to be found in most Gram-positive bacteria, as has been suggested.

The byssus is the set of proteinaceous threads widely used by bivalves to attach themselves to the substrate. Previous researchers have focused on a single byssate family, the Mytilidae. However, the properties of byssal threads from species outside this family are of interest - first, because evolutionary patterns are only detectable if species from a range of taxa are examined, and second, be...

Activity of rifampin against 129 Streptococcus mitis isolates obtained from patients with hematologic cancer was investigated. One hundred twenty-five strains were susceptible to rifampin, and 4 were resistant (MIC = 32 to 64 microg/ml). Resistance to rifampin was related to mutations in the rpoB gene: His(526)Asn in three strains and His(526)Asp in one strain.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Streptococcus pneumoniae, a major human pathogen, is closely related to the commensal species S. mitis and S. oralis. S. pneumoniae surface proteins are implicated in virulence and host interaction of this species, but many of them have recently been detected in S. mitis B6 in silico. We tested for the presence of such genes usinga set of eight S. mitis and eleven S. o...

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...