[Fungal culture from pharyngeal swab and seasonal influence in patients with chronic non-productive cough].

It has been suggested that Basidiomycetes is an important fungal aeroallergen. We have reported that Basidiomycetes may be important for allergic airway disorders such as atopic cough, cough variant asthma and bronchial asthma. In this study, 141 patients with chronic nonproductive cough underwent pharyngeal swab culture for fungi, and 18.4% of all patients were positive for Candida (10.6%) and Basidiomycetes (6.4%). Positive results for Basidiomycetes culture were relatively frequent in August and September. It is suggested that Basidiomycetes is important as a fungus colonizing in the pharynx, and that of causative and/or exacerbating for allergic airway disorders presenting with chronic non-productive cough.