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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Oral Microbes and Host
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1480961
This article is part of the Research Topic Impact of oral and gut microbiome on health and diseases View all 3 articles

Insights into the role of Streptococcus oralis as an opportunistic pathogen in infectious diseases

Provisionally accepted
Jingyi Ren Jingyi Ren 1Peng Sun Peng Sun 2*Meijuan Wang Meijuan Wang 3Wenjuan Zhou Wenjuan Zhou 3*Zhonghao Liu Zhonghao Liu 1*
  • 1 School of Stomatology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
  • 2 Department of Spine Surgery, 970 Hospital of the PLA JLSF, Yantai, China, Yantai, China
  • 3 Yantai Stomatological Hospital Affiliated to Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Streptococcus oralis, belonging to the viridans group streptococci (VGS), has been considered a member of normal flora mainly inhabiting the oral cavity. However, more recently, there has been growing recognition of its role as a causative agent in various life-threatening infectious diseases such as infective endocarditis (IE) and meningitis. Additionally, the differences in the prevalence, clinical features, and prognosis of opportunistic infections between S. oralis and other VGS species have been addressed. Particularly the predominance of S. oralis in IE has drawn critical attention. In potentially fatal infections, clinical neglect of S. oralis as an instigating agent might significantly impede early diagnosis and treatment. Nevertheless, to date, the infectious diseases associated with S. oralis have not yet been comprehensively described. Therefore, this review will give an overview of infectious diseases caused by S. oralis to uncover its hidden role as an opportunistic pathogen.

    Keywords: Streptococcus oralis, Opportunistic pathogen, Infectious Disease, Bloodstream infection, Infective endocarditis

    Received: 14 Aug 2024; Accepted: 17 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ren, Sun, Wang, Zhou and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Peng Sun, Department of Spine Surgery, 970 Hospital of the PLA JLSF, Yantai, China, Yantai, China
    Wenjuan Zhou, Yantai Stomatological Hospital Affiliated to Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong Province, China
    Zhonghao Liu, School of Stomatology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.