Bacterial flora in chronic sinusitis in children

Abstract

Chronic rhinosinusitis is one of the main causes of morbidity in the paediatric population. The aetiology of chronic sinusitis (CS) is still investigated. Most cases of chronic sinusitis develop from unresolved acute sinusitis. Acute sinusitis is usually associated with one species of bacteria (most often aerobic), whereas chronic sinusitis is dominated by a mixed bacterial flora including 2-3 bacterial strains. The most common pathogens in chronic sinusitis are S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, M. catarrhalis, S. aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci, as well as Gram-negative bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus spp., Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp., Escherichia coli and anaerobic bacteria. Staphylococci predominated in the study group of patients: 36 strains of S. aureus and 31 strains of S. epidermidis were isolated. Typical respiratory pathogens were practically absent, and constituted only a small percentage of all isolated microorganisms. Full diagnosis and treatment of patients with chronic sinusitis should include laryngological, microbiological, allergological, biochemical, and histopathological consultations as well as diagnostic imaging. Isolation of materials with high diagnostic value (aspirates, tissues) is very important. The selection of appropriate antibiotic therapy, in addition to assessing bacterial resistance to antibiotics, may require the determination of virulence traits of cultured strains.