Related Experiment Videos
The prevalence of potential pathogenic bacteria in nasopharyngeal samples from healthy children and adults
R K Gunnarsson1, S E Holm, M Söderström
1Department of Primary Health Care, Vasa Hospital, Umeå, Sweden.
Insights
Potentially pathogenic bacteria are common in young children
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Nasopharyngeal carriage of bacteria is common in healthy individuals.
- Understanding carriage rates is crucial for diagnosing respiratory infections.
- Factors like age and season may influence bacterial prevalence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of potentially pathogenic bacteria in nasopharyngeal samples from healthy individuals.
- To investigate the impact of age, season, and childcare type on bacterial carrier rates.
Main Methods:
- Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from healthy pre-school children (under 7), schoolchildren (7-15), and adults (16+).
- Samples were analyzed for the presence of common pathogenic bacteria.
- Data was analyzed to identify correlations with age, season, and childcare setting.
Main Results:
- Bacterial prevalence decreased significantly with age.
- Moraxella catarrhalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae were frequently isolated in pre-school children.
- S. pneumoniae prevalence showed seasonal variation in schoolchildren, higher in summer; no effect of childcare type was found.
Conclusions:
- Potentially pathogenic bacteria are frequently found in pre-school children but rarely in adults.
- The utility of nasopharyngeal samples for differentiating bacterial vs. viral infections requires further evaluation in individuals under 16.
- The role of seasonal variations in nasopharyngeal bacterial prevalence warrants additional research.
Objective:
To elucidate the prevalence of potential pathogenic bacteria in nasopharyngeal samples from healthy individuals, and the influence on the carrier rate of age, season of the year, and type of child day care.
Design:
Nasopharyngeal swab samples obtained in routine medical care from individuals with no sign of infection were studied in 159 pre-school children aged below 7 years, 198 schoolchildren aged 7-15 years, and 261 adults (.16 years).
Results:
The prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in healthy individuals decreased with age. The overall isolation frequencies for pre-schoolchildren, schoolchildren, and adults, respectively, were: Moraxella catarrhalis (27%, 4% and 2%); Streptococcus pneumoniae (19%, 6% and 0.8%); Haemophilus influenzae (13%, 6% and 3%). The prevalence of S. pneumoniae in children 7-15 years was higher during the summer than in the winter. We could not confirm any variation in the carrier rate due to the type of child day care.
Conclusion:
Potentially pathogenic bacteria are often present in nasopharyngeal samples taken from healthy pre-school children, but rarely from people > or = 16 years of age. This means that the use of nasopharyngeal samples to discriminate between bacterial and viral respiratory tract infection needs to be evaluated further in patients < 16 years. The importance of the seasonal variation in the prevalence of potential pathogenic bacteria in the nasopharynx needs further study.