Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial counts of nasal washings: presence of organisms resembling Corynebacterium acnes.

Watson, Elinor D. (Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.), Nanci J. Hoffman, Richard W. Simmers, and Theodor Rosebury. Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial counts of nasal washings: Presence of organisms resembling Corynebacterium acnes. J. Bacteriol. 83:144-148. 1962.-Aerobic and anaerobic colony counts in blood agar were made of 40 samples of nasal washings from five healthy adults. The anaerobic counts were consistently and significantly higher, in line with findings previously reported by others for skin, saliva, and feces. Catalase-forming diphtheroids utilizing lactate anaerobically, tentatively identified as members of the Corynebacterium acnes group, were conspicuous in the anaerobic cultures.