Fifty years ago, one of the first studies on OP colonization assessed its composition in 5 different populations 1.
OP samples were studied in healthy subjects, and in 4 types of in-hospital patients with varying degrees of illness severity. In this study, Johanson et al. To date, results from this study stand and have not been replicated with the same completeness.
Studies have shown that the relative distribution of species may vary within the oral cavity and within individuals 2. Recent studies have also shown a clear difference in the composition between healthy subjects and individuals with periodontal diseases 4.
Some pathogenic bacteria can be retrieved, such as Staphylococcus aureus , S. Across time, various studies focused on GNB OP colonization in healthy subjects, that yielded results very similar to those initially reported 1 , 6 , 7. Johanson et al. Healthy subjects were 82 Dallas firemen, and 47 healthcare providers who had not been exposed to antibiotics in the previous 15 days. More recently, US healthy soldiers were sampled at three different sites 7 nares, oropharynx, and groin. These consistent results contrast with those from another study that included healthy subjects 6 and reported a much higher rate: However, the rate of GNB carriage on two consecutive samples was 6.
Various groups of patients have been surveyed for their OP colonization, alongside healthy adults. When comparing patients from various wards Johanson et al. In a similar manner, Mackowiak et al. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD 6 , 9 have been shown to harbour a higher rate of GNB colonization than healthy subjects 9 ; and the greater the severity of their disease, the higher the prevalence.
