title: Quantitative analysis of the effect of xylitol on pneumococcal nasal colonisation in rats.
abstract: Xylitol possesses anti-bacterial effects on pneumococci in vitro. To study the effect in vivo, the nostrils of 80 rats were inoculated with pneumococci. Intervention groups (n = 20) received either a xylitol diet or xylitol nasal sprays. The control groups were on a normal diet or had saline sprays. After 3 days, a quantitative bacterial culture and a PCR were done from the mucosal suspension. Neither the mean colony-forming unit counts nor the PCR counts differed statistically significant between the xylitol and control groups. Thus, we found that xylitol had no significant effect on pneumococcal mucosal colonisation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Oulu, Finland. tero.kontiokari@oulu.fi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kontiokari
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Svanberg
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mattila
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leinonen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uhari
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000818:Animals; D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology*; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D014993:Xylitol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D014993:Xylitol