Influence of sampling technique on detection of potential pathogens in the nasopharynx

Carriage of antibiotic-resistant Haemophilus influenzae strains in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy

Haemophilus influenzae is one of the major pathogenic bacteria in upper respiratory tract of children. In this study, the presence of various H. influenzae genotypes were followed-up for at least 13 weeks, starting from one week before surgery. Forty-one children with chronic adenoid hypertrophy were prospectively enrolled to the study. The consecutive swabs of adenoid and tonsils, two before adenotonsillectomy and two after the surgery together with homogenates of adenotonsillar tissues and lysates of the CD14(+) cells fraction were acquired from 34 children undergoing adenotonsillectomy. Up to ten isolates from each patient at each collection period were genotyped using a PFGE method and their capsular type and antibiotic susceptibility was determined. Of the 1001 isolates examined, we identified 325 isolates grouped into 16 persistent genotypes, which colonized throats for more than seven weeks and were not eliminated by the surgery. The other 506 isolates grouped into 48 transient genotypes that had been eliminated by the surgery. The resistance to ampicillin were found in 23.8% of the transient strains, and 4.7% of the newly acquired strains following the surgical intervention. In contrast, none of the persistent strains were resistant to ampicillin; however, these strains showed apparently higher level of resistance to co-trimoxazole when compared to transient strains. The transient and persistent strains did not significantly differ in bacterial viability in the biofilms formed in vitro. Some of the strains were identified in two or three different patients and were considered as the strains circulating in the region between 2010 and 2012.

Comparison of the prevalence of common bacterial pathogens in the oropharynx and nasopharynx of gambian infants

Background

CRM- based pneumococcal conjugate vaccines generally have little impact on the overall prevalence of pneumococcal carriage because of serotype replacement. In contrast, protein vaccines could substantially reduce the overall prevalence of pneumococcal carriage with potential microbiological and clinical consequences. Therefore, trials of pneumococcal protein vaccines need to evaluate their impact on carriage of other potentially pathogenic bacteria in addition to the pneumococcus.

Methods

As a prelude to a trial of an investigational pneumococcal vaccine containing pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugates and pneumococcal proteins, the prevalence of carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella species and Staphylococcus aureus in the nasopharynx of 1030 Gambian infants (median age 35 weeks) was determined. An oropharyngeal swab was obtained at the same time from the first 371 infants enrolled. Standard microbiological techniques were used to evaluate the bacterial flora of the pharynx and to compare that found in the oropharynx and in the nasopharynx.

Results

The overall pneumococcal carriage rate was high. Isolation rates of S. pneumoniae and Moraxella species were significantly higher using nasopharyngeal rather than oropharyngeal swabs (76.1% [95% CI 73.4%,78.7%] vs. 21.3% [95% CI 17.2%,25.8%] and 48.9% [95% CI 45.8%, 52.0%] vs. 20.5% % [95% CI 16.5%,25.0%] respectively). In contrast, S. aureus and H. influenzae were isolated more frequently from oropharyngeal than from nasopharyngeal swabs (65.0% [95% CI 59.9%, 69.8%] vs. 33.6% [95% CI 30.7%, 36.5%] and 31.8% [95% CI 16.5%, 25.0%] vs. 22.4% [95% CI 19.9%, 25.1%] respectively). No group A β haemolytic streptococci were isolated.

Conclusion

Collection of an oropharyngeal swab in addition to a nasopharyngeal swab will provide little additional information on the impact of a novel pneumococcal vaccine on pneumococcal carriage but it might provide additional, valuable information on the impact of the vaccine on the overall microbiota of the pharynx.

Alternative sampling methods for detecting bacterial pathogens in children with upper respiratory tract infections

Nasopharyngeal sampling is used for detecting bacteria commonly involved in upper respiratory tract infections, but it requires training and may not always be well tolerated. We sampled children (n = 66) of ages 0 to 4 years, with rhinorrhea, by using a nasopharyngeal swab, a nasal swab, and nose blowing/wiping into a paper tissue. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Staphylococcus aureus were cultured at similar rates across methods with high concordance (80 to 97%), indicating that they are reliably detected by alternative means.