RELEVANCE OF BIOFILMS IN PEDIATRIC TONSILLAR DISEASE

ROQUE ROMERO DIAZ, MD;SEBASTIÁN PICCIAFUOCO, MD;MARIA G PARAJE, PHD;NATALIA A

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES : OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY.

SPRINGER

Año: 2011 vol. 30 p. 1503 - 1509

0934-9723

Abstract: We study the relation between, chronic inflammation of tonsils, clinical features and the presence of biofilms in the crypts, in patients presenting obstructive hypertrophy and recurrent upper airway pathology. 36 patients that needed to undergo a tonsillectomy for obstructive reasons ( 1 to 6 years) none of them had taken any antibiotics 30 days prior to surgery were included. Samples were examined with hematoxylin-eosin and Gram staining, fluorescent microscopy and ConFocal Laser Microscopy . Predominance of symptoms were those related to obstructive pathology rather than infection (p<0.01). All patients had tonsillar hypertrophy (grade III or IV) but the association with adenoids hypertrophy was detected in the 66.66% of cases (p<0.05) . 77.28% of tonsil presented biofilms in their crypts but hypertrophy and tonsillar follicle number were not related to the presence or absence of biofilms. Here we demonstrated that symptoms like harsh raucous sound, tonsilar and adenoids hypertrophy, apnea and cervical adenopathies are clearly related with the presence of biofilm in tonsils. Our results allow us to propose that biofilms are involved in the pathogenic of tonsils and adenoids hypertrophy. Prevention of biofilms formation should be focused in the first stages,trying to restrain bacterial attachment to the respiratory mucosa