A patient is admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of endocarditis.Two separate blood cultures grow out viridans streptococci.The penicillin minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the organism is 0.12 µg/mL.What antibiotic should the physician prescribe?

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Accurate penicillin susceptibility results are needed for viridans streptococci isolated from serious infections, such as bacteremia or endocarditis.If the isolate has a penicillin MIC of 0.12 µg/mL or less, penicillin alone is often prescribed; however, higher penicillin MICs (0.25 to 2.0 µg/mL) suggest the need for concomitant therapy with an aminoglycoside.

A Patient Is Admitted to the Hospital with a Diagnosis