Beta Hemolytic Streptococcus (BHS) species play a role in many infections, such as urinary tract infection, skin/soft tissue infections, neonatal meningitis, sepsis, pneumonia as well as upper respiratory tract infections like tonsillopharyngitis. The aim of this study was to determine the types of BHS species, their infectious characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility profiles in clinical specimens. 

In this cross-sectional study, infectious features of 1276 streptococcus strains isolated from 1110 (87%) outpatients and 166 (13%) inpatients between January 2014 and June 2019 at our laboratory and antimicrobial susceptibility of the 320 strains were analyzed retrospectively. 

Retrospective analysis of 1276 BHS isolates revealed that 48.6% were group B, 33.9% were group A, 9.6% were group F, 5.7% were group C and 2.2% were group G BHS. Among isolated BHS infections, 42.9% caused urinary tract infection, 34.6% caused tonsillitis/tonsillopharyngitis, 15.7% were isolated from skin/soft tissue infections, 3% were found in the bloodstream, and 1% in meningitis, pneumonia, conjunctivitis, and peritonitis. About 2.8% Group B Streptococcus were considered vaginal colonization. Among all patients, 11.2% had more than one underlying disease. All isolates were susceptible to penicillin, vancomycin, linezolid and tigecycline. Erythromycin, clindamycin, and tetracycline resistance rates were determined as 5%, 2%, 40% respectively for Group A and 34%, 11%, 90%, respectively for Group B Streptococcus.

Early diagnosis and appropriate antibiotherapy are important parameters in the management of streptococcal infections. Although there is no penicillin resistance in beta-hemolytic streptococci, we think that antibiotic susceptibility should be closely monitored due to increasing clinical failures, penicillin Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, and macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistance, especially in Group B Streptococcus.