title: Bacterial profile of the oropharynx in infants: an assessment of the confounding factors for colonization.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the composition of non pathogenic microflora (NPM) and pathogenic microflora (PM) and the assessment of factors affecting their colonization in the oropharynx.
  
  
  METHODS
  Oropharyngeal swabs were obtained from 464 infants, aged 15 days to I year, with or without clinical signs and symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), for the current study.Culture was done on blood and chocolate agar, and the colonies were identified using standard microbiological procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The influence of age, presence of siblings and feeding patterns on colonization of oropharynx and the profile of NPM and PM in symptomatic and asymptomatic infants was studied. Colonization of oropharynx by NPM decreased with age whereas by PM increased with age significantly. Isolation of PM significantly increased in cases having siblings less than 18 years of age at home. Season showed a significant influence on the colonization of microflora in the oropharynx. Colonization by NPM was significantly higher in exclusively breast fed (EBF) infants, whereas by PM was higher in mixed fed (MF) infants. Symptomatic infants were higher in the MF group than in EBF group. Certain species of NPM exhibited significant inhibitory effects on colonization of PM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assessment of the factors influencing the oropharyngeal colonization of microflora in infants identifies the risk factors for various infections in later life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal Campus), Manipal University, Manipal 576 104 Karnataka, India. dinesh_nayak@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Dinesh M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Nayak
authors.forename: Naveen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Nalini
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bhaskaranand
authors.forename: Chandrika
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nayak
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D058448:Biota; D001942:Breast Feeding; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D035781:Siblings