Establishment of streptococci in the upper respiratory tract: longitudinal changes in the mouth and nasopharynx up to 2 years of age

As part of a series of longitudinal studies on the development of the indigenous microflora of the upper respiratory tract, the establishment of streptococci in the oral cavity and nasopharynx and IgA1 protease production by the early streptococcal flora was examined in 50 healthy Caucasian infants at the ages of 2, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. In the oral cavity, streptococci were found in all infants on every sampling occasion, Streptococcus mitis biovar 1 being the main finding in each age group. S. salivarius and S. mitis biovar 2 reached their highest prevalence during the first year of life, whereas the prevalence of S. oralis and S. sanguis showed no significant increase before 12 months of age. Salivary streptococci mainly consisted of the above-mentioned species during the follow-up period. In contrast to the oral cavity, no stable colonisation pattern was observed for viridans streptococci in the nasopharynx. S. mitis biovar 1 and S. pneumoniae, a traditional respiratory pathogen, were the principal streptococcal species among nasopharyngeal isolates. IgA1 protease production by early streptococci was common in infancy. Among the oral streptococcal microflora, S. mitis biovar 1 (especially during the first year of life) and S. oralis and S. sanguis constituted the main species responsible for this enzyme activity. In the nasopharynx, IgA1 protease was produced by S. mitis biovar 1, S. oralis and S. pneumoniae. In conclusion, streptococcal colonisation differs in these two close habitats in the upper respiratory tract.