The bacteriology of chronic rhinosinusitis: Results using a novel culture device

The bacteriology of chronic rhinosinusitis is an area of great interest amo ng rhinologists. Numerous studies have reported culture results implicating a variety of aerobic and anaerobic organisms in the etiology of this disea se process. Sampling is generally accomplished through the nasal cavity, cr eating the potential for contamination with resident nasal flora. In some r eports, strict anaerobic techniques have not been used, possibly accounting for the failure to recover these fastidious organisms. In an attempt to cl arify the microbiology of chronic rhinosinusitis, we used a novel culture a nd transport system in 50 patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery. The AccuCulShure (MLA Systems, Pleasantville, NY, USA) is a self-contained pol yethylene culture swab and transport device, capable of collecting a repres entative sample from the sinus without contamination, and preserving the qu ality of the material during transport. Our aerobic and anaerobic culture r esults, as well as pertinent patient data, are presented The Accu-CulShure device may permit standardization of culture techniques for future studies, and allow for more accurate determination of the microbiology of chronic r hinosinusitis.