Mycology of the Nasal Cavity of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients with Nasal Polyps in the Island of Crete

We evaluated the presence and microbiology of fungi in nasal secretions of patients suffering of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps on the population of Crete island. We tried to detect a correlation between the long term use of corticosteroid nasal sprays and fungus existence in nasal secretions. Nasal lavage specimens were collected and cultured for fungal growth. Twenty one different fungal species were isolated. Cultures were positive in 62.4% of chronic rhinosinusitis patients while they were positive in 18.8% of healthy controls (p<0.001). A comparison between nasal corticosteroid users vs. non users revealed fungal growth in 62% vs. 62.9%. Fungal growth was more frequent in chronic rhinosinusitis patients with polyps compared to healthy controls. This finding does not necessarily signify a causative role of fungi in chronic rhinosinusitis and might suggest that geographic and climate variations possibly influence nasal fungal colonization. Fungus species did not differ markedly to these reported by other investigators, however different prevalence rates of particular species may reflect the geographic and seasonal variations.The long term use of local nasal corticosteroids does not seem to affect nasal fungal colonization in sufferers of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.