Related Experiment Videos
The nose as bacterial reservoir: important differences between the vestibule and cavity
1Suva Swiss National Accident Insurance Institute, Division of Occupational Medicine, Kantonsspital Luzerne, Lucerne, Switzerland. u_gluck@yahoo.de
Unlabelled:
The difference between the spectra of potential bacterial pathogens (PBPs) in the nasal vestibule and cavity has not been taken into account in clinical studies.
Purpose:
Since one can anticipate different flora in different kinds of mucosae, the authors compared bacterial species in the vestibule with those of the cavity.
Subjects And Method:
A total of 534 healthy male clerical workers in a downtown Lucerne office building were examined with fractionated swabs.
Results:
PBPs, notably Staphylococcus aureus, were found in 412 subjects and surprisingly, differences in flora of the two sites were noted in 130 of them: PBPs were observed in the vestibule and not in the cavity in 85 of the subjects, and in 45 of them, the reverse was true.
Conclusion:
The practical implications of these findings are considerable regarding infection control in patients at increased infection risk.