Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1990 Dec;28(12):2674–2680. doi: 10.1128/jcm.28.12.2674-2680.1990

Respiratory tract carrier rates of Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis in adults and children and interpretation of the isolation of M. catarrhalis from sputum.

M Vaneechoutte 1, G Verschraegen 1, G Claeys 1, B Weise 1, A M Van den Abeele 1
PMCID: PMC268254  PMID: 2126266

Abstract

Nonselective media and previously described selective media were used to study the occurrence of Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis in sputum samples of good and poor quality and in samples taken from different sites of the upper respiratory tracts of healthy subjects. It was found that in healthy adults the carrier rate was 5.4%, as opposed to 50.8% in children and 26.5% in people older than 60 years. M. catarrhalis was recovered significantly more often from sputum samples of good quality (5%) than from poor quality samples (0.5%), and when present, it was found mostly in the presence of high inocula. From these data gathered from healthy and diseased subjects, it is concluded that the presence of M. catarrhalis in the sputum of adults is rarely due to oronasopharyngeal contamination of the sputum. Similar findings reported by others are discussed, and the origins of the currently held concept that M. catarrhalis is a common commensal organism of the human upper respiratory tract are traced.

Full text

PDF
2677

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ahmad F., McLeod D. T., Power J. T., Calder M. A. Branhamella catarrhalis prevalence in a hospital population. J Hosp Infect. 1985 Mar;6(1):71–74. doi: 10.1016/s0195-6701(85)80020-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Axelsson A., Brorson J. E. The correlation between bacteriological findings in the nose and maxillary sinus in acute maxillary sinusitis. Laryngoscope. 1973 Dec;83(12):2003–2011. doi: 10.1288/00005537-197312000-00011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. BERGER U., PAEPCKE E. [Studies on asaccharolytic Neisseria in the human nasopharynx]. Z Hyg Infektionskr. 1962;148:269–281. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brook I. Microbiological studies of the bacterial flora of the external auditory canal in children. Acta Otolaryngol. 1981 Mar-Apr;91(3-4):285–287. doi: 10.3109/00016488109138509. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Brorson J. E., Malmvall B. E. Branhamella catarrhalis and other bacteria in the nasopharynx of children with longstanding cough. Scand J Infect Dis. 1981;13(2):111–113. doi: 10.3109/inf.1981.13.issue-2.06. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Doern G. V. Branhamella catarrhalis--an emerging human pathogen. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 1986 Mar;4(3):191–201. doi: 10.1016/0732-8893(86)90098-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Doern G. V., Miller M. J., Winn R. E. Branhamella (Neisseria) catarrhalis systemic disease in humans. Case reports and review of the literature. Arch Intern Med. 1981 Nov;141(12):1690–1692. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Doern G. V., Morse S. A. Branhamella (Neisseria) catarrhalis: criteria for laboratory identification. J Clin Microbiol. 1980 Feb;11(2):193–195. doi: 10.1128/jcm.11.2.193-195.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Eliasson I., Kamme C., Prellner K. Beta-lactamase production in the upper respiratory tract flora. Eur J Clin Microbiol. 1986 Oct;5(5):507–512. doi: 10.1007/BF02017692. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hable K. A., Washington J. A., 2nd, Herrmann E. C., Jr Bacterial and viral throat flora. Comparison of findings in children with acute upper respiratory tract disease and in healthy controls during winter. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 1971 Apr;10(4):199–203. doi: 10.1177/000992287101000405. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Henriksen S. D. Moraxella, neisseria, branhamella, and acinetobacter. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1976;30:63–83. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.30.100176.000431. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Herbert D. A., Ruskin J. Are the "nonpathogenic" Neisseriae pathogenic? Am J Clin Pathol. 1981 May;75(5):739–743. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/75.5.739. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Jousimies-Somer H. R., Savolainen S., Ylikoski J. S. Comparison of the nasal bacterial floras in two groups of healthy subjects and in patients with acute maxillary sinusitis. J Clin Microbiol. 1989 Dec;27(12):2736–2743. doi: 10.1128/jcm.27.12.2736-2743.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kallings I. Sensitivity of Branhamella catarrhalis to oral antibiotics. Drugs. 1986;31 (Suppl 3):17–22. doi: 10.2165/00003495-198600313-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Knapp J. S., Hook E. W., 3rd Prevalence and persistence of Neisseria cinerea and other Neisseria spp. in adults. J Clin Microbiol. 1988 May;26(5):896–900. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.5.896-900.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Laurell A. B., Nilsson N. I., Prellner K. Immune complexes and complement in serous and mucoid otitis media. Acta Otolaryngol. 1980 Sep-Oct;90(3-4):290–296. doi: 10.3109/00016488009131728. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Long S. S., Henretig F. M., Teter M. J., McGowan K. L. Nasopharyngeal flora and acute otitis media. Infect Immun. 1983 Sep;41(3):987–991. doi: 10.1128/iai.41.3.987-991.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. McNeely D. J., Kitchens C. S., Kluge R. M. Fatal Neisseria (Branhamella) catarrhalis pneumonia in an immunodeficient host. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1976 Aug;114(2):399–402. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1976.114.2.399. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Ninane G., Joly J., Piot P., Kraytman M. Branhamella (Neisseria) catarrhalis as pathogen. Lancet. 1977 Jul 16;2(8029):149–149. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(77)90171-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Prellner K., Christensen P., Hovelius B., Rosén C. Nasopharyngeal carriage of bacteria in otitis-prone and non-otitis-prone children in day-care centres. Acta Otolaryngol. 1984 Sep-Oct;98(3-4):343–350. doi: 10.3109/00016488409107572. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Riou J. Y., Guibourdenche M. Diagnostic bactériologique des espèces des genres Neisseria et Branhamella. Ann Biol Clin (Paris) 1977;35(2):73–87. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Schalén L., Christensen P., Kamme C., Miörner H., Pettersson K. I., Schalén C. High isolation rate of Branhamella catarrhalis from the nasopharynx in adults with acute laryngitis. Scand J Infect Dis. 1980;12(4):277–280. doi: 10.3109/inf.1980.12.issue-4.07. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Schønheyder H., Ejlertsen T. Branhamella catarrhalis in lower respiratory tract secretions in adults. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 1989 Apr;8(4):299–300. doi: 10.1007/BF01963454. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Soto-Hernandez J. L., Nunley D., Holtsclaw-Berk S., Berk S. L. Selective medium with DNase test agar and a modified toluidine blue O technique for primary isolation of Branhamella catarrhalis in sputum. J Clin Microbiol. 1988 Mar;26(3):405–408. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.3.405-408.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Thornley P. E., Aitken J., Drennan C. J., MacVicar J., Slevin N. J. Branhamella catarrhalis infection of the lower respiratory tract: reliable diagnosis by sputum examination. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1982 Nov 27;285(6354):1537–1538. doi: 10.1136/bmj.285.6354.1537. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Van Hare G. F., Shurin P. A., Marchant C. D., Cartelli N. A., Johnson C. E., Fulton D., Carlin S., Kim C. H. Acute otitis media caused by Branhamella catarrhalis: biology and therapy. Rev Infect Dis. 1987 Jan-Feb;9(1):16–27. doi: 10.1093/clinids/9.1.16. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Vaneechoutte M., Verschraegen G., Claeys G., Flamen P. Rapid identification of Branhamella catarrhalis with 4-methylumbelliferyl butyrate. J Clin Microbiol. 1988 Jun;26(6):1227–1228. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.6.1227-1228.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Vergez P., Riou J. Y. Etude de la flore bactérienne aérobie isolée des produits de l'expectoration dans les infections chroniques des bronches. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1972 Aug;123(2):201–222. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Verghese A., Berk S. L. Is normal throat flora causing pneumonia in your patients? Am Rev Respir Dis. 1982 Jun;125(6):783–784. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1982.125.6.783. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. WILKINSON A. E. Occurrence of neisseria other than the gonococcus in the genital tract. Br J Vener Dis. 1952 Mar;28(1):24–27. doi: 10.1136/sti.28.1.24. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. von Graevenitz A., Rathbone R. R. Branhamella catarrhalis in respiratory secretions: clinical correlation in 16 cases. South Med J. 1981 Sep;74(9):1095–1096. doi: 10.1097/00007611-198109000-00021. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES