Bacterial Flora of the Nasopharynx in Children

Abstract

The high incidence of respiratory tract disease in children, coupled with the rather indiscriminate use of antimicrobial agents, stands in marked contrast to the paucity of exact data concerning the bacterial flora of the nasopharynx. The frequency of the development of resistant organisms which may lead to serious complications indicates that such data should be obtained. The purpose of the present communication is to report the results of the nasopharyngeal cultures from 1,116 infants and children. Material and Methods Thirteen hundred eighty-five cultures on 1,116 children between the ages of 3 weeks and 14 years were obtained in the outpatient clinic of the Children's Hospital of the University of Texas Medical Branch during the period from October, 1952, through July, 1954. The vast majority of cultures were from subjects having mild or severe respiratory tract symptoms, while 104 were from infants and children having no evidence of respiratory disease. Cultures