M. catarrhalis is a pathogenic organism which can cause upper respiratory tract infections such as otitis media or
sinusitis. In this current study, M. catarrhalis was investigated on nasopharyngeal and throat specimens of 104
patients (73 adults, 31 children) prodiagnosed as having upper respiratory tract infections. M. catarrhalis was
recovered from 35 of 104 nasopharyngeal specimens (33.6%) and 20 of 104 throat specimens (19.2%). These
rates were 18 (24.7%) and 13 (17.8%) for adults, and 17 (54.8%) and 7 (22.6%) for children, respectively. These
results support the theory that M. catarrhalis has an important role in the aetiology of upper respiratory tract
infection.
Key Words: M. catarrhalis, Otitis media, Sinusitis.
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