Bacteriological monitoring in penicillin treatment of streptococcal sore throat.

Bacteriological monitoring of penicillin therapy in 30 children with streptococcal sore throats was performed by means of salivary and throat-swab culture, on the first, third, fifth and ninth days after therapy had started. Counts of beta-haemolytic streptococci per ml. of saliva were also performed.Results showed that salivary culture and estimation of the numbers of beta-haemolytic streptococci in the saliva were much more sensitive indices of the effectiveness of penicillin treatment than throat-swab culture.