[Increasing importance of Haemophilus influenzae in nose, ear and throat infections]

After the review of the morphology, the identification and the pathogenic properties of H. influenzae, its occurrence in the different ENT infections is discussed. H. influenzae is found in chronic tonsillitis in 64% of the cases, in the deeper tissue of the tonsils, while its occurrence in the throat swabs is rare. In acute otitis media H. Influenzae is present in 10 to 150% of the cases, while in rhinitis and sinusitis its increasing occurrence until 1974 is noted (28% of all sinusitis cases showed H. Influenzae in that year); since 1974 its occurrence is somewhat decreasing: 18% in 1976. Susceptibility testing for antibiotics with the disc-method is unreliable; we have to use the tube or plate-dilution methods. The increasing occurrence of ampicilline resistant strains of H. influenzae is discussed.