Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T13:12:26.814Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Alterations to the oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal microbial flora of children after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

E. Manolis ,
A. Tsakris ,
D. Kandiloros ,
M. Kanellopoulou ,
E. Malamou-Lada ,
E. Ferekidis ,
G. Adamopoulos  and
N. J. Legakis
E. Manolis
Affiliation:
Otorhinolaryngology and Microbiology Departments, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
A. Tsakris
Affiliation:
Otorhinolaryngology and Microbiology Departments, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
D. Kandiloros
Affiliation:
Otorhinolaryngology and Microbiology Departments, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
M. Kanellopoulou
Affiliation:
Otorhinolaryngology and Microbiology Departments, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
E. Malamou-Lada
Affiliation:
Otorhinolaryngology and Microbiology Departments, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
E. Ferekidis
Affiliation:
Otorhinolaryngology and Microbiology Departments, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
G. Adamopoulos
Affiliation:
Otorhinolaryngology and Microbiology Departments, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
N. J. Legakis*
Affiliation:
Otorhinolaryngology and Microbiology Departments, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
*
Professor N. J. Legakis, Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Athens, M. Asias 77, Athens 115 27, Greece.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal microbial flora of 40 children with chronically hypertrophied and infected tonsils or adenoids, was studied. Twenty of the children were treated by tonsillectomy and 20 by adenoidectomy. Swabs were taken from the surgical field pre-operatively and from the oropharynx or the nasopharynx 10 and 30 days post-operatively. The swabs were cultured on suitable culture media and identification as well as quantitative estimation of the isolated bacteria, was carried out. Most of the potentially pathogenic bacteria exhibited β-lactamase production.

Interestingly, after surgical treatment, the respective microorganisms were quantitatively reduced and it was observed that their isolation rate was also lower. Furthermore, bacteria considered as normal inhabitants regularly showed an increase in their frequency of isolation despite the fact that a quantitative decrease was in some instances observed. These findings suggest that tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy result in an alteration to the abnormal oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal microbial flora producing an almost normal one. It appears that, in cases of the failure of antimicrobial treatment, surgical procedures should be seriously considered.

Keywords

MicrobiologyTonsillectomyAdenoidectomy
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 108 , Issue 9 , September 1994 , pp. 763 - 767
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brook, I. (1981) Aerobic and anaerobic bacteriology of adenoids in children: a comparison between patients with chronic adenotonsillitis and adenoid hypertrophy. Laryngoscope 91: 377–382.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brook, I., Groper, A. E. (1983) Bacteroides melaninogenicus: its recovery from tonsils of children with acute tonsillitis. Archives of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery 109: 818–820.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brook, I., Foote, P. A. Jr (1986) Comparison of the microbiology of recurrent tonsillitis between children and adults. Laryngoscope 96: 1385–1388.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brook, I., Foote, P. A. Jr (1990) Microbiology of ‘normal’ tonsils. Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology 99: 980–983.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brook, I., Yocum, P. (1983) In vitro protection of group A betahemolytic streptococci from penicillin and cephalothin by Bacteroides fragilis. Chemotherapy 29: 18–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brook, I., Yocum, P. (1984) Bacteriology of chronic tonsillitis in young adults. Archives of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery 110: 803–805.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brook, I., Yocum, P., Friedman, E. M. (1981) Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in tonsils of children with recurrent tonsillitis. Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology 90: 261–263.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DeDio, R. M, Tom, L. W., McGowan, K. L., Wetmore, R. F., Handler, S. D., Potsic, W. P. (1988) Microbiology of the tonsils and adenoids in a pediatric population. Archives of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery 114: 763–765.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kielmovitch, I. H., Keleti, G., Bluestone, C. D., Wald, E. R., Gonzalez, C. (1989) Microbiology of obstructive tonsillar hypertrophy and recurrent tonsillitis. Archives of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery 115: 721–724.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lennette, E. H., Ballows, A., Hausler, W. Jr, Shadomy, C. H. (1985). Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 4th Edition, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
O'Callaghan, C. H., Morris, A., Kirby, S. M., Shingler, A. H. (1972) Novel method for detection of beta-lactamase by using a chromatogenic cephalosporin substrate. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 1: 283–288.Google Scholar
Ozawa, A., Sawamura, S. (1988) Microbial ecology and tonsillar infection. Acta Otolaryngologica 454(suppl.): 178–184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stenfors, L.-E., Raisanen, S. (1989) The bacterial flora of the naso-pharynx, with special reference to middle ear pathogens. A Quantiative study in twenty children. Acta Otolaryngologica 108: 122–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suzuki, K., Baba, S., Soyano, K., Kinoshita, H. (1988) Experi-mental and clinical studies of causative bacteria in tonsillitis. Acta Otolaryngologica 454(suppl): 185–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Talaat, A. M, Bahgat, Y. S., El-Ghazzawy, E., Elwany, S. (1989) Nasopharyngeal bacterial flora before and after adenoidectomy. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 103: 372–374.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turner, K., Nord, C. E. (1983) Beta-lactamase producing anaerobic bacteria in recurrent tonsillitis. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 10(suppl. A): 153–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar