Assessment Of Antibiotic Resistance in Streptococcus Isolates Causing Infection of The Oral Cavity in Covid-19 Recovered Patients

Objective: This study evaluates the load of Streptococcus species and assesses their antibiotic resistance in COVID-19-recovered patients (Group A) and healthy patients (who never suffered from COVID-19, Group B) attending the out-patient department in tertiary care dental hospital in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Methodology: Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from 25 patients of each group and were screened for Streptococcus species. Further species-level identification was done using routine microbiological, biochemical, antigen-detection kits, and PCR techniques. The antibiotic sensitivity test was carried out using the Kirby-Bauers disk diffusion test. Results: Five different species of Streptococcus were isolated. In both groups, Streptococcus mutans isolates were more in number, followed by S. pyogenes. Our study also recorded that the Streptococcus strains isolated from COVID-19-recovered patients were resistant to more antibiotics than those isolated from non-COVID patients. Conclusion: In conclusion, there has been a significant rise in the MDR strains of Streptococcus species in India and globally. In our study, COVID-19-recovered patients had more Streptococcus species isolated from their oral cavity than strains isolated from the healthy controls. Hence, dental hospitals and clinics can implement modified safety regulations and antibiotic policies to reduce infections and antibiotic resistance problems.