Multicolonization of human nasopharynx due to Neisseria spp.

Authors

  • Juan A. Sáez Nieto Servicio de Bacteriología. Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
  • Carmen Marcos Servicio de Bacteriología. Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
  • Ana Vindel Servicio de Bacteriología. Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain

Keywords:

Neisseria spp., pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), nasopharynx colonization, nasopharyngeal microbiota, colony morphology

Abstract

The colonization due to Neisseria spp. in the nasopharynx of forty healthy adults was studied by using a selective medium that allows the differentiation of Neisseria species and inhibits the rest of pharyngeal microbiota. The medium detected a variety of colonial morphology types and some metabolic characteristics of the isolates. We demonstrated the multicolonization by several Neisseria spp. in the same individual, and we isolated several strains of the same species, after analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns obtained from the different colonial types previously identified as the same species. The forty adults studied were colonized by 112 forms of Neisseria spp., and twelve colonization patterns were obtained: one species (45%), two (45%), three (7.5%) and four (2.5%). N. perflava-N. sicca, either alone or in combination with other species was the most frequent isolate (92.5%). The analysis of PFGE patterns obtained from different colonial types revealed the multicolonization by several strains of the same species in some individuals. This fact was found in N. perflava-N. sicca (50%) and N. mucosa (2.5%).

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Published

2010-03-18

Issue

Section

Research Articles