MicrobiologY of Chronic Macillary Sinusitis

Abstract

The aetiology of chronic sinusitis is still poorly understood (Suzuki et al, 1999). The diagnosis of chronic sinusitis can be difficult due to the variety and lack of specificity of the presenting symptoms (Rosbe and Jones, 1998). Furthermore, it is important to differentiate fungal from non-fungal sinusitis in order to determine the optimal treatment for chronic sinusitis (Yoon et af2, 1999). The aim of the present work was to determine the cauSative microbiological agents in patients with chronic maxillary sinusitis. This study included 26 patients from the Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat Surgery, Ain Shams University Hospitals. All the patients had chronic maxillary sinusitis and were candidates for functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Sinus aspirates and/or sinus mucosal specimens were obtained from the patients during surgery. Bacteriological and mycological examination of the specimens were then performed. From the 26 patients, a total of 16 bacterial isolates were found. S. aureus was the most frequently isolated (17%), followed by K. pneumoniae (13%), C. freundii (7%), Pr. vulgaris (7%), E. coli (7%), and lastly K. oxytoca (3%). A total of 6 fungal isolates were recovered (20%), with Aspergillus fumigatus being the most frequent isolate (13%), followed by Aspergillusjlavus (3%), and Rhizopus oryzae (3%).