[Emergence of macrolide resistant Streptococcus pyogenes strains in pediatric patients in France].

A total of 206 recent throat isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes collected between 2002 and 2004 from children were tested for their susceptibility to penicillin, amoxycillin, erythromycin, clarythromycin and clindamycin. The erythromycin resistant isolates were further studied for their genetic mechanism of resistance by means of PCR. In all, 14.5% of the strains were erythromycin resistant and 13.5 and 1% expressed the constitutive MLS(B) and M resistance phenotypes and harbored the ermB and mef A genes respectively.