Ferguson, Jonathan L.

Klebsiella ozaenae is a gram‐negative rod that has been isolated with relative frequency from patients with atrophic rhinitis. The relationship of this bacterium to the pathogenesis of atrophic rhinitis is not understood, and whether this bacterium is simply an opportunistic colonizer of the injured nose or the etiologic agent of the disease is unclear. This study was designed to investigate a potential role for bacterially produced cilloinhibition as a mechanism for the pathogenesis of atrophic rhinitis.

The mechanisms by which bacteria colonize and damage ciliated epithelium are important in understanding the pathophysiology of rhinitis, sinusitis, and otitis. Bacteria that have the ability to impair mucociliary clearance would be at an advantage in establishing infection of ciliated surfaces. This study investigates the effect of Hemophilus Influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Brahmanella catarralis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis on the ciliary activity of normal ciliated nasal epithelium in human beings. Ciliary activity of the nasal epithelium in the presence of each pathogen was assessed for more than 240 minutes with a photometric method of ciliary beat frequency (CBF) measurement. H. influenzae exerted significant effects on ciliary activity, with a 46% decrease in the CBF by 4 hours (with bacteria‐containing broth) and a 32% decrease with bacteria‐free filtrate. S. epidermidis decreased CBF by 44% with the bacterial broth. A sterile cell‐free filtrate had no significant effect. S. pneumoniae and B. catarralis had no significant effect on CBF within a 240‐minute period. H. influenzae and S. epidermidis disrupted normal synchronous ciliary motion, causing adjacent cilia to beat at different rates.