title: Bacterial colonization of nasal steroid inhalers in chronic rhinosinusitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to determine if nasal steroid inhalers harbor bacteria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nasal steroid inhalers were randomly selected from an adult patient population with chronic rhinosinusitis. Swab cultures of the tip of the nasal inhaler were obtained and submitted for microbiological analysis. Contemporaneous control cultures were obtained from freshly opened nasal steroid inhalers. Comparisons were conducted between bacterial recovery rates and types of organisms recovered from the patient and control groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 31 nasal inhalers in use, 14 inhalers (45%) were found to harbor bacteria. The most common organisms were coagulase negative Staphylococci (11 inhalers) followed by oral flora (2 inhalers) and bacillus species (1 inhaler). None of the 10 control cultures were found to harbor bacteria. Nasal steroid inhalers in use were more likely to have bacterial colonization than new inhalers (p = 0.008, chi-square).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nasal steroid inhalers may harbor pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, they may serve as a vehicle for subsequent reinfection.
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bhattacharyya
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kepnes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001900:Boston; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D006801:Humans; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers / Q000382:microbiology*; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification