Microbiology of recurrent parotitis

Abstract

Background. Infantile chronic recurrent parotitis (ICRP) is characterized by episodes of recurrent swelling of the parotid gland with decreased salivary flow and purulent secretion. The etiology of this little unknown clinical condition has been attributed to multiple causes such as canalicular system malformations, ascending bacterial infection, hyposialia, parotitis sequelae, viral infections and immunologic disorders, among others. Methods. We studied the types (with counts) of microorganisms involved in ICRP. Saliva samples were obtained from 56 patients and 20 controls, inoculated onto enriched media and incubated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Antimicrobial susceptibility and serotyping of the isolated organisms isolated were performed. Results. Of 57 saliva samples from ICRP patients, 52 (91%) were culture-positive. The most frequently isolated microorganisms were Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. Thirteen of twenty (65%) samples were also culture-pos