title: Chronic pharyngitis: role of atypical organisms: a case control study from South India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bacteria including Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and anaerobic bacteria such as Fusobacterium necrophorum have been implicated as etiological agents of chronic pharyngitis in Western literature. Because there are no data regarding this from India, the authors undertook this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary-level medical college and hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 343 consecutive adults with persistent throat pain and/or irritation (duration ≥3 months) were screened for known causes of pharyngitis by a thorough clinical and endoscopic examination. In 71 patients, the evaluation performed was unable to determine any cause, and these were considered cases. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test to detect IgA and IgG antibodies to C pneumoniae and M pneumoniae was performed on 66 of these cases and 62 controls. The posterior pharyngeal swabs taken from both the cases and controls were subjected to aerobic and anaerobic culture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Individuals with chronic pharyngitis had a 3.43 times odds of being seropositive for C pneumoniae as compared with controls (P = .001; odds ratio = 3.43). Aerobic organisms and M pneumoniae did not seem to be significant etiological agents for chronic pharyngitis. On the contrary, isolation of Fusobacterium spp was found to be significantly more in controls as compared with cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests an association between IgA antibodies to C pneumoniae and chronic pharyngitis. Further studies using more specific tests combined with long-term follow-up are needed to confirm these findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of ENT, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. naina.emmanuel@yahoo.com
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Naina
authors.forename: Shalini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anandan
authors.forename: Suma Susan
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Mathews
authors.forename: Anand
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Job
authors.forename: Rita Ruby
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Albert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult