Oropharynx microbiota among alcoholics and non-alcoholics

RESUMO

Context The oropharynx microbiota plays na important role in the origin infections, especially among alcoholics whose airway defenses are impaired. Objective: To compare the normal oropharingeal flora in heavy alcohol drinker and non-alcoholics. Patients; 117 persons, 58 heavy alcohol drinker and 59 non-alcoholics. Setting: Santa Casa de Sao Paulo Emergency Service. Design: A blind prospective study. Main outcomes measures: Prevalence of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, and fungi. Results: The study of the oropharynx microbiota among heavy alcohol drinkers demonstrated the presence of anaerobic microorganisms in 84,5 per cent of them, including Bacteroides sp, Prevotella melaninogenica, Fusobacterium sp, Veilonella sp, Peptostreptococcus sp, Propionibacterium sp, Bifidobacterium sp and Clostridium sp, versus 30.5 per cent (p<0.005) of non-alcoholics. Candida sp was present in 34.5 per cent of heavy alcohol drinkers and 5.1 per cent of non-alcoholics (p<0.005). Enterobacteria predominated among heavy alcohol drinkers (25 per cent) compared with non-alcoholics (5.5 per cent) only in the age group 14 to 34 years (p<0.05). Conclusion: Based upon these results, it was possible to conclude that the knowledge of the oropharynx microbiota among heavy drinkers and non-alcoholics has na important predictive value concerning probable etiologic agents of lower airway infections. Infections caused by anaerobic microorganisms and fungi should be taken into consideration during the choice of empirical therapy for heavy alcohol drinkers.