Effect of a moustache on nasal Staphylococcus aureus colonisation and nasal cytology results in men

Abstract

Objective: This study compared the results of nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriage and nasal cytology in men with and without a moustache. Methods: The study group comprised 118 adult men with a moustache, and the control group consisted of 123 adult men without a moustache. Samples were taken from the participants' right nasal cavity for cytology and from the left nasal cavity for microbiology. Results: The results for S aureus were positive in 19.5 per cent (n=23) of participants with a moustache and in 20.3 per cent (n=25) of men without a moustache. This difference was not significant (p>0.05). However, nasal cytology revealed rich eosinophil clusters in participants with a moustache. Conclusion: The presence or absence of a moustache had no effect on nasal S aureus colonisation. However, further research is needed to understand whether the presence of a moustache increases the risk of allergic or non-allergic rhinitis.