To localize the sites and determine the extent of human rhinovirus (HRV) replication in the upper respiratory tract, biopsies of nasal and nasopharyngeal epithelia were collected from 26 HRV- or 7 sham-inoculated volunteers on days 1, 3, and 5 and on days 12, 20, or 33 after inoculation and analyzed by in situ hybridization. HRV-infected cells were detected on at least 1 day in 22 of the 23 HRV-infected subjects and in 1 of the 7 sham-inoculated subjects who developed a cold and had nasal secretions positive for a picornavirus by polymerase chain reaction. Low numbers of in situ hybridization-positive ciliated cells were present in nasal biopsies. In the nasopharynx, most HRV-infected cells were ciliated, but infected nonciliated epithelial cells were also detected. Our results indicate that HRV replicates in a very small proportion of cells in the nasal epithelium and in both ciliated and nonciliated cells in the nasopharynx of experimentally infected humans.

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This study suggests that chronic bacterial infection is not a major component of nasal polyp etiology.

Otolaryngologic manifestations of infection with Blastomyces species are extremely rare and restricted geographically to recognized endemic regions. Here, we describe a case of laryngeal blastomycosis that presented as slowly progressive dysphonia. While a preliminary diagnosis was made using routine histopathology, a species identification of Blastomyces dermatitidis was made using polymerase chain reaction amplification and rapid genotyping without the need for fungal culture. All symptoms resolved following 1 month of antifungal therapy. Rapid molecular differentiation of B dermatitidis from Blastomyces gilchristii provides important insights into pathogenesis given recent recognition of differences in clinical spectra.

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