Bacteriology & Antibiotics

Biography

Biography: Gholamreza Bayazian

Abstract

Introduction: In this study, we evaluated the association of the presence and extent of adenoid biofilms and the frequency of upper airway infections in children with upper airway obstruction. Materials and methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was carried out from October 2014 to December 2015 on pediatric patients who were candidates for adenoidectomy due to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). After removal of the adenoid tissue and fixation in 2.5% glutaraldehyde, the samples were sent to the electron microscopy unit. The extent of biofilm formation was examined using environmental scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These results were then confirmed by image analysis software. Results: Fifty-seven children with a mean age of 7.31 (±2.65) years (a range of 28 months to 13 years) were included in this study, of whom 43 (75.4%) were male and 14 (24.6%) were female. The average number of upper airway infections during the last 12 months before adenoidectomy was 10.01 (±5.38). Biofilm structure was detected in all (100%) the samples. As the main outcome, the extent of biofilm grading exhibited a statistically significant correlation with the frequency of upper airway infections (Spearman test, P=0.000, coefficient correlation=0.566). The adenoid size exhibited no significant correlation with the number of upper airway infections and the extent of biofilm. There was also no significant correlation between age, sex and duration of obstructive symptoms with the grading of biofilm extent and adenoid size. Conclusion: The present study showed that the extent of adenoid biofilm had a significant relationship with the frequency of upper airway infection rate. It seems that the presence of biofilm on the adenoid surface as a reservoir of microorganisms could cause chronic inflammation; therefore, adenoidectomy might be effective as a strategy to prevent infection in children with recurrent upper airway infections.