Introduction
Acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) is one of the most common infections of upper respiratory tract both in children and adults [
1]. It is reported that 5-10% of children with upper respiratory tract infection are complicated with acute sinusitis and 6-13% of children were diagnosed with sinusitis at the age of 3 [
2]. Although pediatric ARS is common in outpatient clinics in China, there is a lack of relevant data on its epidemiology and economic burden. Both the mucosa of nasal passages and paranasal sinuses are involved in most ARS cases [
3‐
5]. Viruses and pathogenic bacteria are often found in nasal secretion of ARS patients [
6‐
8]. Generally, most ARS were caused by virus and aggravated by bacterial coinfection or secondary infection [
9,
10].
Sinus puncture culture was believed to be the most accurate method for diagnosing ARS previously. However, recent meta-analysis found that endoscopic guided middle meatus samples may be more sensitive and less invasive for ARS compared with sinus puncture [
11,
12]. Therefore, the samples were collected from middle meatus with the help of endoscopy.
In pediatric ARS, it was discovered that respiratory bacteria were present in 65% of the sinus secretions, while bacterial and viral agents were present in 32% of the secretions [
13]. Rhinovirus and influenza virus were the most prevalent viruses, while
Haemophilus influenzae and
Streptococcus pneumoniae ranked first in bacterial species [
13]. However, the microbial composition which contributed to ARS was not static. For example, popularization of vaccines in children can lead to the changes of the frequency and bacteriology of ARS [
14]. Generally, children with uncomplicated ARS need only symptomatic treatment. Antibiotics were used when complications or concomitant disease were found as described in several guidelines [
15].
The bacteriology of ARS has, however, barely been investigated, especially in the population of Chinese children. In this research, we aimed was to detect the bacterial proportion of middle meatus secretions and antibiotic sensitivity of these bacterium in Chinese children with ARS. Our data can provide bacteriology basis for antibiotic treatment of ARS.
Discussion
ARS, one of the most common diseases in children, is increasingly prevalent. ARS causes annoying symptoms and affects quality of life negatively. Previous studies showed that 53.7% of ARS patients had bacterial infections [
11].
Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and
Moraxella catarrhalis are the most frequent bacterium in the world [
18,
19]. However, the species of microbe vary depended on different circumstances such as age, season, and et al. [
20,
21]. In children, the most frequent microbes in ABRS are
Streptococcus pneumoniae,
Haemophilus influenzae,
Moraxella catarrhalis,
Streptococcus pyogenes, and anaerobes [
22].
For example, Brook et al. found that aerobes (mainly
staphylococci and
streptococci) were identified in about 38% of cases, whereas
Haemophilus species were rare [
23]. The most frequent bacteria were anaerobic Gram-positive cocci and Bacteroides species, especially
B. melaninogenicus, and
fusobacteria. Our data showed that 75% children with ARS can be diagnosed as acute bacterial rhinosinusitis (ABRS).
Moraxella catarrhalis, Staphylococcus aureus,
Haemophilus influenzae,
Streptococcus pneumoniae and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most frequent microbes in our study. Moreover, about 10% cases is polymicrobial. Previous reports suggested that enteric bacteria and anaerobes are rarely identified except for odontogenic origin [
24,
25]. Similarly, our study also did not identify enteric bacteria and anaerobes in children ABRS. The differences between our results and Brook’s study may be attributed to geographical and racial factors. Moreover, most studies conducted by Brook were at least ten years early and the microbiota may also change over time. Besides, the sample size may also affect our results.
Determining the antibiotic sensitivity helps to reduce the occurrence of side effects and chronicity as well as the development of resistance to the bacteria. Amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate or cephalosporins were recommended by the EPOS2020 for children with complications or concomitant disease that could be exacerbated by ARS [
15]. Similarly, amoxicillin clavulanic acid, the second generation of cephalosporin and macrolide drugs are recommended by experts in China [
26]. Our data showed that amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium, a first-line antibiotic recommend by several guidelines, are useful for
Moraxella catarrhalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae as well as
Haemophilus influenzae. While
Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa could be inhibited by quinolones. Indeed, previous studies identified quinolones as the drug of choice for the treatment of ARS in penicillin-allergic patients [
27,
28], however, that quinolones often cause gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea and nausea. Further studies are needed to investigate the safety and efficacy of quinolones to determine whether they can be used as first-line drugs for the treatment of ARS.
Our study had some limitations. First, our study is a single center research, so our results cannot be generalized to other pediatric populations of China. Second, children with ARS should be tested for viruses to further expand the knowledge of ARS in follow-up studies. Further muti-center studies with large samples should be conducted to better understand the etiology of ARS in Chinese children.
Despite of the above limitations, our study reported the distribution of bacterial infections and the antibiotic sensitivity in pediatric ARS of our center, which is the largest children’s hospital with the most patients in South China. Our results provide a theoretical basis for a deeper understanding of the onset and clinical treatment of pediatric ARS.
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