Adherence of nontypable Haemophilus influenzae to respiratory epithelium of otitis prone and normal children

The present study was designed to determine whether nontypable H. influenzae adhered differently to buccal cells from otitis prone compared with normal children. 306 children were enrolled at birth. They were examined at 1-6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 months of age. Buccal cells were collected at 1, 12, and 24 months. 40 children were classified as OP (≥ 4 episodes by age 12 months or ≥ 6 episodes by age 24 months). Adherence assays were conducted by incubating 1 x 10⁴ buccal cells with 5 x 10⁸ colony forming units of radiolabelled nontypable H. influenzae in 1 ml of salt solution with 0.1% gel at 37°C for 60 min. Adherence was expressed as the % of organisms adherent to buccal cells. The adherence of buccal cells from otitis prone children were compared with age and sex matched controls who had not experienced otitis media and had not been colonized with nontypable H. influenzae.