Relevance in biofilms in pediatric tonsillar disease

DIAZ RR; PICCIAFUOCO S; PARAJE MG; ANGEL VILLEGAS N; ARCE MIRANDA JE; CREMONEZZI D; COMMISSO R; PAGLINI-OLIVA P

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

SPRINGER

Año: 2011 vol. 11 p. 1503 - 1509

0934-9723

In this inv estigation, we study the relation between chronic inf lammation of the tonsils, clinical f eatures, and the presence of biof ilms in the cry pts in patients presenting with obstructiv e hy pertrophy and recurrent upper airway pathology . Thirty -six patients who needed to undergo a tonsillectomy f or obstructiv e reasons (aged 1 to 6 y ears), among which none of them had taken any antibiotics 30 day s prior to surgery , were included. Samples were examined with hematoxy lin-eosin and Gram staining, f luorescent microscopy , and conf ocal laser microscopy . The predominance of sy mptoms were those related to obstructiv e pathology rather than inf ection (p < 0.01). All patients had tonsillar hy pertrophy (grade III or IV), but an association with adenoids hy pertrophy was detected in 66.66% of cases (pp < 0.01). All patients had tonsillar hy pertrophy (grade III or IV), but an association with adenoids hy pertrophy was detected in 66.66% of cases (pp < 0.05). 77.28% of tonsils presented biof ilms in their cry pts, but hy pertrophy and tonsillar f ollicle number were not related to the presence or absence of biof ilms. Here, we demonstrated that sy mptoms like harsh raucous sound, tonsillar and adenoids hy pertrophy , apnea, and cerv ical adenopathies are clearly related to the presence of biof ilm in tonsils. Our results allow us to propose that biof ilms are inv olv ed in the pathogenesis of tonsils and adenoids hy pertrophy . The prev ention of biof ilms f ormation should be f ocused in the early stages, attempting to restrain bacterial attachment to the respiratory mucosa.