Table 2.
Pathogens of acute sinusitis
| Viral | Rhinovirus | Bacterial community-acquireda | Streptococcus pneumoniae |
| Parainfluenza virus | Haemophilus influenza | ||
| Influenza virus | Moraxella catarrhalis | ||
| Corona virus | Other streptococcal species | ||
| Respiratory syncytial virus | Staphylococcus aureus | ||
| Adenovirus | Anaerobic bacteria |
From Evans A, Niederman J. Epstein-Barr virus. In: Evans A, editor. Viral infections of human epidemiology and control. New York: Plenum Publishing; 1989. p. 265; with permission.
a
The most common organisms are Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenza. These pathogens are responsible for 35% of cases in adults. In children, S pneumoniae and H influenza are responsible for 41% and 29% of cases, respectively. Moraxella catarrhalis accounts for 26% of cases in children and 2% in adults.