Calò L, Passàli G C, Galli J, Fadda G, Paludetti G
Institute of Otorhinolaringology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
Adv Otorhinolaryngol. 2011;72:93-6. doi: 10.1159/000324622. Epub 2011 Aug 18.
The objective of our studies was to document the presence of bacterial biofilms in recurrent and chronic infectious diseases of the upper airways (UA) (adenoiditis, tonsillitis, chronic rhinosinusitis) and to assess the association between the presence of biofilm and the maintenance of a chronic inflammation.
16 surgical samples of tonsils and adenoids from patients with UA infections and 24 samples of ethmoid mucosa from patients who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) were cultured using conventional methods and subjected to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to detect evidence of biofilm.
Bacterial biofilms were observed in 57.5% of chronically infected UA mucosa; in 41.7% of ethmoid mucosa of CRS patients they were significantly (p<0.001) associated with a marked destruction of ciliated epithelium.
Our studies confirm that biofilm formation plays a role in UA infections, it not only explains the resistance of these infections to antibiotic therapy, but also represents an important element that contributes to the maintenance of a chronic inflammatory reaction.
我们研究的目的是记录上呼吸道（UA）复发性和慢性感染性疾病（腺样体炎、扁桃体炎、慢性鼻-鼻窦炎）中细菌生物膜的存在情况，并评估生物膜的存在与慢性炎症持续之间的关联。
对16例患有UA感染患者的扁桃体和腺样体手术样本以及24例因慢性鼻-鼻窦炎（CRS）接受鼻内镜手术患者的筛窦黏膜样本采用传统方法进行培养，并进行扫描电子显微镜（SEM）检查以检测生物膜证据。
在57.5%的慢性感染UA黏膜中观察到细菌生物膜；在CRS患者的41.7%的筛窦黏膜中，它们与纤毛上皮的明显破坏显著相关（p<0.001）。
我们的研究证实生物膜形成在上呼吸道感染中起作用，它不仅解释了这些感染对抗生素治疗的耐药性，而且是导致慢性炎症反应持续的一个重要因素。
