[Microbial contamination of wind instruments and associated pulmonary diseases]

Pulmonary diseases of musicians who play wind instruments that may be caused by microbial contamination of the instruments tend to be underestimated. The aerosols and microdroplets from the respiratory tract that enter the wind instrument when playing music contain both non-pathogenic and pathogenic microbes. Microbiological studies have shown a higher contamination of vital bacteria, fungi, and/or yeast in woodwind instruments compared to metal instruments.Although there are some signs of increased incidence of respiratory diseases in wind instrument players, the detection of potential pathogens in wind instruments does not necessarily mean that these microbes lead to manifest lung infections.Any type of wind instrument can be contaminated with microbes associated with Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP). A series of case reports have been published dealing with HP, in particular in saxophone players ("Sax lung") and bagpipe players ("Bagpipe lung"). HP is more common among musicians playing wind instruments than previously thought. Therefore, in cases of HP of unclear cause, the medical history should be extended to include playing wind instruments and, if necessary, material taken from the instruments should be examined microbiologically.It is recommended that musicians regularly not only clean but also disinfect their wind instruments.