Colonization rate of bacteria in the throat of healthy infants.
OBJECTIVE
the human throat is a major ecological site for various bacteria that can reach neighbouring sterile sites and cause mild infections or invasive diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the carriage rate of several potential pathogens in the throat of healthy children under the age of 2 years.


METHODS
cultures were taken from the tonsils of 1000 healthy infants aged 1-24 months attending well-baby clinics, who had not received antibiotic therapy during the preceding 14 days.


RESULTS
one hundred and ninety-eight (19.8%) cultures were positive. Thirteen (1.3%) cultures were positive for beta-haemolytic Streptococcus group A, 23 (2.3%) for Streptococcus pneumoniae. In 28 (2.8%) and 24 (2.4%) cultures, respectively, Haemophilus influenzae Type b and non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae were recovered. The commonest bacterium found was Staphylococcus aureus (99 positive cultures). Eleven children carried two species of bacteria and from one 6-month-old child three species were isolated concurrently.


CONCLUSIONS
it is concluded that children younger than 2 years of age can be carriers of several types of pathogenic bacteria. In contrast to many other studies, in this study beta-haemolytic Streptococcus group A was isolated from the tonsils of children younger than 1 year of age.
Berkovitch
Matitiahu
M
Division of Pediatrics, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Affiliated to the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Zerifin 70300, Israel. mberkovitch@asaf.health.gov.il
Bulkowstein
Mordechai
M
Zhovtis
Diana
D
Greenberg
Revital
R
Nitzan
Yeshayahu
Y
Barzilay
Bernard
B
Boldur
Ida
I
D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D012703:Serotyping; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000145:classification