Ethmoid sinus mycology of chronic rhinosinusitis

This goal of this study was to demonstrate whether fungi were present in the ethmoid sinus in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Before surgery, swab specimens were collected from the middle meatus for conventional fungal cultures, and lavaged fluid was collected from the nasal cavity for fungal cultures by Ponikau's method. During surgery, tissue specimens were taken from the inferior turbinate and the anterior ethmoid sinus for conventional fungal cultures and detection of fungal DNA by polymerase chain reaction. The ethmoid sinus mucosa with coating mucus was also collected for fungal cultures by Ponikau's method. Among 53 specimens, three middle meatal specimens and 27 lavaged specimens (50.9%) grew fungi. Inferior turbinal mucosa did not grow fungi, but three ethmoid sinus specimens grew fungi by the conventional fungal culture method and by Ponikau's method. Alternaria DNA was detected in 42 inferior turbinal specimens (79.3%) and in 39 ethmoid sinus specimens (73.6%). Our study showed that although fungi were rarely cultured from the ethmoid sinus Alternaria DNA was detected in most of the ethmoid sinus mucosa.