[Current significance of Gram's stain in the treatment of ENT infections in the clinic and general practice].

The aim of our investigations was to evaluate the current importance of Gram's stain in ENT infections. This long established easy microbiological method was compared with culture and sensitivity tests. For this purpose 549 Gram's stains were performed on 384 patients. In 88.8% of the cases Gram's stains gave reliable information in a few minutes so that a correct and effective antimicrobial treatment could be started. In 5.7% no pathogen could be found using a Gram's stain, probably because the concentration was too low (10(5)/ml) whereas a pathogen could be cultured in these cases. However culture revealed microbiological information in 11.5% of the cases that was unreliable or even misleading in deciding treatment. In conclusion, Gram's stain is a very cheap, quick and easy method which has been forgotten by many clinicians but which is sufficient as the only microbiological method in uncomplicated ENT infections and is of great importance for a correct interpretation of the results of culture in severe infections. In life-threatening cases it may even be of a crucial value.