Nasal mucociliary function during penicillin treatment.

Nasal mucociliary function was studied in 21 healthy subjects before, during and after penicillin administration. No change in the mucociliary function occurred during penicillin treatment. Nor was any difference observed between men and women or between smokers and non-smokers. On the other hand, the measurements revealed a significantly smaller intra-individual than inter-individual variation. As the epithelia of nasal cavity and Eustachian tube are morphologically of the same type it is concluded that the increased incidence of serous otitis media which has been observed after the introduction of penicillin in the treatment of acute otitis media can scarcely be due to an inhibitory effect of penicillin on the mucociliary function of the Eustachian tube.