Bacteriological findings in nasopharynx specimens from patients with a clinical diagnosis of acute sinusitis

Abstract

Objective - To study results from bacteriological specimens from nasopharynx in patients with a clinical diagnosis of acute sinusitis in relation to CT findings. Design - Prospective study. Setting - Patients from general practice in Vestfold county, Norway. Patients - 427 patients 15 years and older from two studies with a clinical diagnosis of acute sinusitis, and who were examined with coronal CT scans of the paranasal sinuses. Fluid level or total opacification of any sinus was taken as a hallmark of sinusitis. Main outcome measures - Bacteriological findings in nasopharynx specimens and proportions of various sinus pathogens in patients with and without sinusitis confirmed by CT. Results - In the study, 252 patients had acute sinusitis and 175 patients did not. In the sinusitis groups, 27% of the patients had Streptococcus pneumonia, 12% had Staphylococcus aureus and 10% had Haemophilus influenzae in their nasopharynx specimens. Forty-five percent of the patients had normal nasal flora or no growth. The strains of Streptococcus pneumonia and Haemophilus influenzae showed high sensitivity to PcV, while the Moraxella strains were resistant to it. Conclusion - Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae were the most frequent sinus pathogens found in the nasopharynx specimens, and they were significantly more frequent in the group with confirmed sinusitis. The proportion of specimens with normal nasal flora or no growth was significantly higher in the non-sinusitis group.