The nose as bacterial reservoir: important differences between the vestibule and cavity.

Abstract

The difference between the spectra of potential bacterial pathogens (PBPs) in the nasal vestibule and cavity has not been taken into account in clinical studies. Since one can anticipate different flora in different kinds of mucosae, the authors compared bacterial species in the vestibule with those of the cavity. A total of 534 healthy male clerical workers in a downtown Lucerne office building were examined with fractionated swabs. PBPs, notably Staphylococcus aureus, were found in 412 subjects and surprisingly, differences in flora of the two sites were noted in 130 of them: PBPs were observed in the vestibule and not in the cavity in 85 of the subjects, and in 45 of them, the reverse was true. The practical implications of these findings are considerable regarding infection control in patients at increased infection risk.