BACKGROUND: The carriage rate of pathogenic bacteria in the nasopharynx (NP) was determined using three separate techniques for obtaining samples. METHODS: The NP of 99 healthy adults was sampled with (1) nasal swab, (2) oral swab, and (3) nasal aspiration; 49 adults with common cold were sampled with an oral swab and nasal aspiration. Three selective agars were used to detect Streptococcus pneumoniae, Hemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis. RESULTS: Seventy-three percent of healthy adults and 74% of cold sufferers had at least one pathogen detected in the NP. Detection rates were 65% (oral NP swab), 38% (catheter aspiration), and 28% (nasal swab; p < 0.001). Carriage rates for S. pneumoniae, M. catarrhalis, and H. influenzae were 45, 33, and 30%, respectively. Both a nasal and an oral sample were required for optimal detection. CONCLUSION: Bacterial pathogens were present in the NP of three-quarters of adults during wellness and during colds.
BACKGROUND: The carriage rate of pathogenic bacteria in the nasopharynx (NP) was determined using three separate techniques for obtaining samples. METHODS: The NP of 99 healthy adults was sampled with (1) nasal swab, (2) oral swab, and (3) nasal aspiration; 49 adults with common cold were sampled with an oral swab and nasal aspiration. Three selective agars were used to detect Streptococcus pneumoniae, Hemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis. RESULTS: Seventy-three percent of healthy adults and 74% of cold sufferers had at least one pathogen detected in the NP. Detection rates were 65% (oral NP swab), 38% (catheter aspiration), and 28% (nasal swab; p < 0.001). Carriage rates for S. pneumoniae, M. catarrhalis, and H. influenzae were 45, 33, and 30%, respectively. Both a nasal and an oral sample were required for optimal detection. CONCLUSION: Bacterial pathogens were present in the NP of three-quarters of adults during wellness and during colds.
Authors: E Kaitlynn Allen; Anne Pitkäranta; Minna Mäki; J Owen Hendley; Sanna Laakso; Michèle M Sale; Birgit Winther Journal: Int Forum Allergy Rhinol Date: 2013-06-25 Impact factor: 3.858
Authors: Jack B Anon; Michael R Jacobs; Michael D Poole; Paul G Ambrose; Mark S Benninger; James A Hadley; William A Craig Journal: Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg Date: 2004-01 Impact factor: 3.497
Authors: E Kaitlynn Allen; Alex F Koeppel; J Owen Hendley; Stephen D Turner; Birgit Winther; Michèle M Sale Journal: Microbiome Date: 2014-06-25 Impact factor: 14.650
Authors: Amy Blain; Jessica MacNeil; Xin Wang; Nancy Bennett; Monica M Farley; Lee H Harrison; Catherine Lexau; Lisa Miller; Megin Nichols; Susan Petit; Arthur Reingold; William Schaffner; Ann Thomas; Thomas Clark; Amanda Cohn; Elizabeth Briere Journal: Open Forum Infect Dis Date: 2014-07-03 Impact factor: 3.835