Study of normal flora in the pharynx of healthy children.

To improve our current understanding of normal flora in children, we investigated bacterial isolates from pharynx and nasopharynx of 173 and 233 healthy children, respectively. The bacterial isolation rates were compared among three age groups: infants (<1 year), toddlers (1-5 years), and school-age children (6-15 years). Gram-positive cocci (GPC) were the predominant bacteria in the pharynx (Streptococcus mitis/oralis, 87.3%; Streptococcus salivarius, 54.3%; Rothia mucilaginosa, 41.6%; Staphylococcus aureus, 39.3%). Among infants, Streptococcus salivarius and Neisseria subflava, which are related to the development of teeth, were significantly lower than in the other age groups (p<0.0001, S. salivarius; p<0.01, N. subflava). Gram-negative rods (GNR) predominated the nasopharynx (Moraxella catarrhalis, 32.1%; and Moraxella nonliquefaciens, 28.3%) except for Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum (44.2%) of gram-positive rods. Among toddlers, Moraxella catarrhalis and Streptococcus pneumoniae, which are the most common pathogens in acute otitis media, were significantly higher than in the infant group (p<0.05 for both). Among bacterial species implicated in pediatric respiratory infection, Streptococcus pyogenes was isolated in 3.5% of pharyngeal samples. S. pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae were isolated in 22.3% and 17.2% of nasopharyngeal samples, respectively. In conclusion, normal flora of the respiratory tract differs not only by sampling site but also by age group.