as an emerging respiratory tract pathogen at Assiut University hospitals.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

is a member of viridans streptococci. It is non-capsulated, bile insoluble and optochin susceptible in ambient air but resistant in 5% CO. This study aimed to isolate from sputum specimens of patients admitted to Chest Department and Chest ICU of Assiut University hospitals, differentiate it from in addition, to evaluate the prevalence of in clinical isolates by phenotypic and genotypic methods, to subject the isolates to antimicrobial susceptibility testing using agar disc diffusion method.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Isolation of from sputum sample and doing phenotypic test (optochin susceptibility test,bile susceptibility test and antimicrobial susceptibility test) and genotypic test by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for five genes: , 16S rRNA and genes.

RESULTS

Twenty isolates of were diagnosed phenotypically by optochin susceptibility and bile solubility tests followed by genotypic characterization by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for five genes: , 16S rRNA and genes. The prevalence of among studied patients was 10% (20/200).

CONCLUSION

The pure growth of from sputum samples together with the great percentage of antibiotic resistance should raise attention to the clinical importance of this organism.