Nasopharyngeal Carriage
Nasopharyngeal Carriage - Related Videos
07:47
Experimental Human Pneumococcal Carriage
0 Views •
Cited by 80 •
2013
Experimental human pneumococcal carriage offers a natural model of carriage and a potential model for use in vaccine development. This technique is valuable yet complex and involves clinical risk by introducing a pathogen into a human. We have developed a detailed protocol.
01:29
Suctioning the Nasopharyngeal Airway
0 Views •
2025
Nasopharyngeal suctioning is a procedure to remove secretions from the upper part of the respiratory tract that the patient cannot clear independently. It helps maintain airway patency and prevents complications such as aspiration pneumonia. Equipment Required Suction machine with adjustable pressure settings Sterile suction catheters (appropriate size for the patient) Sterile gloves Sterile saline or water (for irrigation or lubrication) Water-soluble lubricant Personal protective...
12:21
Examining the Role of Nasopharyngeal-associated Lymphoreticular Tissue (NALT) in Mouse Responses to Vaccines
0 Views •
Cited by 39 •
2012
Methods to examine contributions of the nasopharyngeal-associated lymphoreticular tissues (NALT) to nasal and systemic immune responses of mice to intranasal vaccines are described. We demonstrate a surgical procedure to establish a NALT-dependent mouse model and ex vivo cultures of extracted NALT.
18:46
Methods Development for Blood Borne Macrophage Carriage of Nanoformulated Antiretroviral Drugs
0 Views •
Cited by 20 •
2010
Nanoparticles of indinavir, ritonavir, efavirenz and atazanavir were manufactured using wet milling, homogenization and ultrasonication. These nanoformulations, collectively termed nanoformulated antiretroviral therapy (nanoART), assessed macrophage-based drug delivery. Monocyte-derived macrophage nanoART uptake, retention and sustained release were determined. These preliminary studies suggest the potential of nanoART for clinical use.
04:25
Capsular Serotyping of Streptococcus pneumoniae Using the Quellung Reaction
0 Views •
Cited by 86 •
2014
The Quellung reaction is the gold standard technique for serotyping Streptococcus pneumoniae. This technique utilizes a microscope and specific pneumococcal antisera and is commonly used in reference and research laboratories worldwide.
FAQs
Microorganisms persist when they adhere to nasopharyngeal mucosal surfaces and withstand or evade local host immune defenses. This persistence allows them to coexist with other members of the upper-airway microbial community without producing overt illness. These interactions help explain why colonization can continue in apparently healthy individuals and why carriage may contribute to later transmission or disease risk.
The nasopharyngeal environment contains microbial communities that can coexist with carried respiratory bacteria and viruses. This community context is important because persistence does not depend only on the microorganism and the host; it also reflects relationships among microbes at the mucosal surface. Studying these interactions can improve understanding of why carriage is maintained in some individuals but not others.
Carriage and invasive disease represent different outcomes of microorganism-host interaction. A carried microbe may remain confined to the upper airway while tolerating local defenses, but some individuals progress from colonization to invasive disease. Investigating this transition helps researchers identify how persistence, host responses, and microbial behavior relate to clinical risk, even when carriage itself produces no overt illness.
Because carried microorganisms persist in the upper airway, carriage provides a way to monitor organisms that may be transmitted between individuals. Nasopharyngeal assessment can also identify antimicrobial resistance among colonizing microbes. These findings connect an otherwise asymptomatic state with broader medical concerns, including the spread of respiratory pathogens and the need to track resistance patterns over time.
Assessment begins with collection of a nasopharyngeal swab, followed by laboratory detection of microorganisms using culture or molecular methods. Culture identifies organisms through their growth, whereas molecular detection identifies microbial material with a laboratory assay. The selected approach allows investigators to measure carriage and examine patterns of colonization, transmission, antimicrobial resistance, or vaccine response.
Carriage can be measured in individuals without overt illness, making it useful for studying silent colonization and potential transmission before disease becomes apparent. Researchers may compare carriage across groups or time points to examine how microorganisms spread, how resistance changes, or how vaccination affects colonization. This approach provides information that symptom-based observation alone cannot supply.
Tracking nasopharyngeal carriage shows whether microorganisms remain present in the upper airway and how their detection changes after vaccination or during transmission studies. These observations help evaluate vaccine responses and clarify patterns relevant to infection control. The resulting evidence can guide strategies intended to reduce spread and support vaccine development aimed at limiting pathogen persistence or transmission.
Culture and molecular detection provide complementary ways to investigate a nasopharyngeal swab. Culture supports assessment through microbial growth, while molecular detection identifies microorganisms using laboratory detection of their genetic material or other molecular targets. Applying these methods to carriage studies helps researchers monitor colonization and investigate transmission, antimicrobial resistance, and vaccine-related changes in detected microorganisms.