Environmental Allergy Influences Nasal Culture Bacteriology with Implications for Antibiotic Therapy Selection

This verifies the previous hypothesis that allergic disease is a predisposition to acquiring a bacterial infection, Mr. Mehta said.

The researchers also noted that patients with a negative allergy profile had a different pathogen prevalence rate, with only 11% S. aureus, an increased incidence of S. pneumoniae (5%), and an increased incidence of infection by other uncommon pathogens.

Female patients with positive infection and positive allergy profiles had an even higher incidence of S. aureus infection-64%, Mr. Mehta said.

The study authors noted that successful treatment of allergic disease might reduce the dependency on chronic use of anti-inflammatory steroid use, decongestants, and especially empirical antibiotic therapy, thereby helping to delay the occurrence and development of antibiotic-resistant organisms.

Because of this study, if a male patient with a cold comes to visit me and he doesn’t have allergies, I’m now more inclined to treat him with symptomatic relief, not antibiotics, Dr. Morris said. If a woman with a cold comes in, and she takes allergy medicine, I’m more likely to think she’s got a bacterial infection.

The bottom line, according to Dr. Morris, is to better differentiate patients empirically and to be more fact-oriented in choosing therapies. Take time to do a culture. Be more certain of what you’re treating, he said.

©2007 The Triological Society