MYCOPLASMA FLORA IN EXUDATIVE PHARYNGITIS

• Main Authors: CRAWFORD, York E, Griffin,John P
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: CULTURE MEDIA; DISEASES; ETIOLOGY; GROWTH(PHYSIOLOGY); INFECTIOUS DISEASES; Medicine and Medical Research; Microbiology; MYCOPLASMA; PLEUROPNEUMONIA LIKE ORGANISMS; SECRETION; THROAT

Although Mycoplasma hominis type 1 was reported to produce exudative pharyngitis in human volunteers, an etiological role has not been demonstrated for this organism in the naturally occurring disease. This study included 30 naval recruits with exudative pharyngitis with an equal number of controls. Throat swabs were inoculated onto PPLO agar for the isolation of M. hominis and other Mycoplasma species that inhabit the oropharynx. To determine if there was a predominant species associated with exudative pharyngitis, isolates were identified by growth inhibition. The presence of M. hominis type 1 was not demonstrated in subjects with pharyngitis, although there were 700 colonies grown on a plate from one control. M. pneumoniae was isolated from two controls. Nine subjects with pharyngitis and six controls yielded M. pharyngis (orale type 1). M. salivarium was recovered from 22 subjects with pharyngitis and from 17 controls. On primary isolation, the colony counts of M. salivarium were greater more often in subjects with pharyngitis (P = 0.01). In 11 instances, 6 from pharyngitis and 5 from controls, M. salivarium and M. pharyngis occurred as mixed cultures. It was concluded that M. hominis type 1 was not associated with the exudative pharyngitis of these men. (Author)