Relative proportions of Haemophilus species in the throat of healthy children and adults

Abstract

To determine normal proportions of pharyngeal Haemophilus species, qualitative and quantitative mapping of the species in the pharynx of ten healthy children and ten healthy adults was carried out using a selective and a non-selective medium. Haemophilus organisms were present in all samples, comprising approximately 10% of the total cultivable flora (range 0.6-36.9%). Haemophilus parainfluenzae was a member of the normal flora throughout life, constituting 74% of pharyngeal Haemophilus organisms. Haemophilus segnis and Haemophilus paraphrophilus occurred more frequently in samples from adults, whereas Haemophilus haemolyticus was present in only one sample. Non-encapsulated Haemophilus influenzae strains, usually of multiple biotypes, were present in 80% of the children but accounted for a mean of only 1.8% of the total flora. Their number decreased with increasing age; 40% of the adults harbored Haemophilus influenzae but only of a single biotype which constituted a minor proportion of the total flora (mean 0.15%). These findings suggest that host mechanisms can influence changes in the proportions of Haemophilus influenzae strains colonizing the host.