title: Involvement of Staphylococcus aureus and Moraxella catarrhalis in Japanese cedar pollinosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  From mid February to the end of March, each year ∼30% of Japanese have Japanese cedar pollinosis. Moreover, 10-50% of patients with this pollinosis exhibit nasal manifestations in the preseason. These patients have a predominance of neutrophils but not eosinophils in nasal swabs and high carriage of Staphylococcus aureus. We hypothesized that S. aureus or other bacteria and associated neutrophilia were involved in preseasonal symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cytology and bacterial colony growth were assessed in nasal swabs in the groups of asymptomatic patients in the preseason (PreAsP) (n = 53) and symptomatic patients in the preseason (PreSyP) (n = 60), and in group of symptomatic patients in season (InSyP) (n = 72).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the preseason, high neutrophilia was present in only 20% of the PreAsP group but in 47% of the PreSyP group (p < 0.01). Nasal carriage of S. aureus in the PreAsP and PreSyP groups were 79%, 75%, respectively, whereas, for Moraxella catarrhalis, these were 9% versus 25% (PreAsP versus PreSyP group; p < 0.05). In patients with positive results for S. aureus and M. catarrhalis, the degrees of neutrophilia (-, ±, +, 2+, 3+) in the PreSyP group were larger than in the PreAsP groups (p < 0.01). In the PreSyP group, the magnitude of neutrophilia was greater (p < 0.05) in subgroups with more colonies of S. aureus than in subgroups with fewer colonies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nasal symptoms in the preseason are associated with neutrophilia and nasal colonization with S. aureus and M. catarrhalis. Patients with symptoms in the preseason had improved symptom scores when given prophylactic treatment early in season but had more-severe symptom scores late in season than asymptomatic patients in the preseason. Neutrophil-associated tissue damage related to bacterial colonization may underlie these associations.
authors.affiliation: Otsuka Ear Nose and Throat Clinic, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirokuni
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Otsuka
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Takanashi
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tokunou
authors.forename: Sadao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Kimihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okubo
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D032485:Cryptomeria / Q000276:immunology; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D001936:Moraxella catarrhalis / Q000502:physiology*; D045828:Moraxellaceae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology*; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D012621:Seasons; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens