Research Article Open Access

A Clinical Study of Oropharyngeal Microbial Flora in Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease

Abstract

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) refers to retrograde flow of gastric contents to the upper aero-digestive tract which causes a variety of symptoms such as cough, hoarseness and asthma. In this study, we observed the changes seen in the microbiological flora in the pharyngeal wall mucosa in patientswith laryngopharyngeal reflux. A prospective study was conducted on 35 patients with Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) and 15 control patients in the ENT department in a tertiary care hospital. Swabs were taken from all the patients from the posterior pharyngeal wall and sent for microbiological analysis. Among the 35 patients with LPRD symptoms, 14.29% patients had normal pharyngeal flora, 21.88% isolates were of Non-fermenting Gram negative bacilli (Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas species), while 26.67% isolates were having Gram positive bacteria – (Staphylococcus aureus – 70% isolates, Enterococcus species – 20% isolates, coagulase negative Staphylococcus aureus – 10%). 50%of patients had isolates from the group of Enterobacteriaceae (E.coli – 12.5%, Klebsiella species – 37.50%, Citrobacter– 6.25%; Enterobacter species– 43.75%). The presence of bacterial flora in the posterior pharyngeal wall increases with the presence of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease with the predominant organism belonging to Enterobactericeae group.

Abhilash Antony, Zainab Sunu Ali, Gangadhara Somayaji, Annet Olinda D’souza and Sunil Rao Padmaraj

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