The effect of cigarette smoking on pharyngeal bacterial flora among students of Duhok college of science

Other Title(s)

تأثير التدخين على البكتريا المستوطنة في البلعوم لدى طلبة فاكولتي العلوم في جامعة دهوك

Joint Authors

Abd al-Ghaffar, Awaz Arshad
Ilyas, Hayfa Mazin

Source

Duhok Medical Journal

Publisher

University of Duhok College of Medicine

Publication Date

2012-12-31

Country of Publication

Iraq

No. of Pages

7

Main Subjects

Medicine

English Abstract

Background: Cigarette smoking is associated with acute respiratory tract infections in adults.

Active smoking and passive exposure to cigarette smoke is also associated with carriage of some potentially pathogenic bacteria.

The direct effects of smoke on the growth of many bacterial species in upper respiratory tract are mostly unknown, although the effect of smoke on dental flora has been examined extensively.

Objectives: To compare the isolation rate of pharyngeal bacterial normal flora and potential pathogens between non-smokers (30) and smokers (30) among students in College of Science in Duhok University and to compare the number of colonies (density of growth) of each bacteria among smokers and non-smokers.

Methods: Cotton swabs were used to rub the tonsils and areas adjacent to the tonsils and inoculated into media plates: blood, chocolate and MacConkey media plates.

Bacteria were identified according to their cultural morphology, gram staining and biochemical tests.

The number of each isolated bacteria and the extent of their growth on plates were compared among both the smokers and the non-smokers.

Results: Eight types of bacteria were identified from both smokers and non-smokers.

The rate of Viridance streptococci, Neisseria spp, and Diphtheria spp, were similar for both smokers and non-smokers but the rate of Bacillus spp.were significantly less among smokers performed by chi-square test (p: 0.045) compared to nonsmokers.

There was also a significant decrease in the extent of growth of non-coagulase staphylococci among smokers compared to non-smokers calculated by Mann-Whitney test (p: 0.044).

There were four episodes of Staph.

aureus among the smokers but non among non-smokers.

Conclusion: the decrease in both the growth and the extent of growth in some of bacterial normal flora among smokers such as Bacillus ssp and non-coagulase staphylococci respectively might help potential pathogens such a Staphylococcus aureus to colonize the epithelial flora.

These potential pathogens might play an aetiological role in respiratory tract infection

Data Type

Conference Papers

Record ID

BIM-831975

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