Bacterial infection in chronic rhinosinusitis: a controlled paired analysis

The aim of this study was to determine if pathogenic bacteria are involved in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

A consecutive series of adult patients with unilateral sinus disease determined by unilateral radiographic involvement or unilateral purulent secretions was microbiologically studied. Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial and fungal cultures were obtained during endoscopic sinus surgery from purulent secretions or tissue culture. Positive culture rates were compared between the diseased sinus and the contralateral nondiseased (control) sinus to determine if pathogenic bacteria were more commonly recovered from the diseased sinuses.

Forty-nine adult patients completed the study with appropriate microbiological data. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most commonly recovered bacteria followed by Staphylococcus aureus from the diseased side of the sinuses with similar findings for the control sinus. Bacterial species were recovered from 87.8% of the diseased side of the sinuses versus 85.7% from the control sinuses (p = 0.50). Reanalysis with coagulase-negative staphylococci considered as nonpathogen showed a 46.9 and 49.0% positive bacterial culture rate in diseased and control groups, respectively (p = 0.50). No significant difference in positive anaerobic culture rates were identified between groups (59.1% diseased versus 55.1% control, respectively, p = 0.61). Antibiotic resistance rates were no different between bacteria cultured from diseased sinuses versus control (p = 0.115).

Both aerobic and anaerobic bacterial species may be recovered from both diseased and nondiseased sinuses in patients with CRS. These findings cast some doubt on the exact etiologic role of bacteria in CRS, suggesting other factors or other agents also may be responsible in CRS pathogenesis.