This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (4)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • General Rhinology  • Paranasal Sinus Disease  • Alert me on articles by topic

Usama Gabr, MD; Yu-Sung Won, MD, PhD; Sue Boonlayangoor, MS; Kenneth Thompson, PhD; Fuad M. Baroody, MD; Robert M. Naclerio, MD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001;127:985-990.

Background  Previous investigations have shown that mice with a tendency toward a T_H1 or T_H2 lymphocyte response manifest different reactions to inoculation with the parasite Leishmania major. BALB/c mice (with a tendency for a T_H2 response) showed evidence of systemic infection, whereas C57Bl/6 mice (with a tendency for a T_H1 response) showed only a local reaction.

Objective  To investigate whether BALB/c and C57Bl/6 mice respond differently to acute bacterial infection of the sinuses.

Methods  We inoculated the nasal cavities of C57Bl/6 and BALB/c mice with Streptococcus pneumoniae (type ATCC59), or with broth as a control. The mice were humanely killed 2, 5, 10, and 14 days after inoculation. Their heads were fixed, decalcified, and embedded in paraffin blocks. Sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and the degree of inflammation was quantified by the number of neutrophils per square millimeter of the sinus mucosa and the percentage of the sinus cavity occupied by neutrophil clusters.

Results  Both groups of mice showed evidence of inflammation that was significantly greater than controls (P = .01), with no difference between groups. There was a correlation between the number of neutrophils per square millimeter in the sinus mucosa and the percentage of neutrophil clusters (C57Bl/6 mice, r = 0.37, P<.001; BALB/c mice, r = 0.20, P<.001). In the infected mice, the number of infiltrating neutrophils was significantly greater (P<.001) in anatomically lower (dependent) areas of the sinuses compared with the upper areas.

Conclusion  Unlike leishmaniasis, acute bacterial sinusitis is not affected by the tendency of the host to favor either a T_H1 or T_H2 response.

From the Sections of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (Drs Gabr, Won, Baroody, and Naclerio), and Clinical Microbiology (Ms Boonlayangoor and Dr Thompson), Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Effect of genetic background on the response to bacterial sinusitis in mice.
Kirtsreesakul et al.
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2006;132:1102-1108.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT