title: Oropharyngeal Colonization With Neisseria lactamica, Other Nonpathogenic Neisseria Species and Moraxella catarrhalis Among Young Healthy Children in Ahvaz, Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neisseria lactamica as one of the main commensal in oropharynx during the childhood is related to the induction of a natural immunity against meningococcal meningitis. Also Moraxella catarrhalis in oropharynx of children is a predisposing factor for otitis media infection.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current study aimed to investigate the frequency of the N. lactamica, other nonpathogenic Neisseria spp. and M. catarrhalis in the oropharynx of young healthy children in Ahvaz, Iran by the two phenotypic tests and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 192 oropharyngeal swab samples of the young healthy children were studied during four months. Swabs were plated onto enriched selective media and non-selective media. Gram-negative and oxidase-positive diplococci were identified by several conventional biochemical tests. The PCR and sequencing were used to confirm the accuracy of laboratory diagnosis to identify N. lactamica and M. catarrhalis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 192 young healthy children with the mean age of 5.93 ± 2.5903 years, authors identified: N. lactamica (21.9%) in the age group of one to nine years; N. mucosa (6.3%); N. sicca (7.8%); N. cinerea (1.6%); N. subflava (biovar subflava) (4.2%); N. subflava (biovar perflava) (28.1%); N. subflava (biovar flava) (7.3%) and M. catarrhalis (42.7%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The young healthy children screening by colonization of N. lactamica and other nonpathogenic Neisseria spp. in oropharynx was the first report in Ahvaz, Iran. The study results demonstrated the high frequency of colonization of M. catarrhalis in the studied young healthy children other than Neisseria spp.
authors.affiliation: Health Research Institute, Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IR Iran ; Department of Microbiology, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Raheleh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sheikhi
authors.affiliation: Health Research Institute, Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IR Iran ; Department of Microbiology, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mansour
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amin
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Soodabeh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rostami
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shoja
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Nasim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ebrahimi
keywords: Child; Colonization; Moraxella catarrhalis; Neisseria lactamica