The amount of a particular bacterium, commonly found in nasal passages, was assessed for 21 healthy volunteers. In a blinded, randomized test, the volunteers then sprayed either a xylitol or a salt solution into their nostrils four times a day for four days. After that time, the nose-bacteria level was retested. The volunteers then waited a week to allow their nose bacteria levels to get back to normal and repeated the spraying experiment with the other solution. Cells lining the nasal passages are almost identical to cells that line passages in the lungs, although the environment is very different.
Normal subjects have fairly constant levels of bacteria in their nostrils.
These factors, and the ease of testing changes in bacterial levels in nostrils, made the nose a good place to show that the sugar could do something in the body. The results showed that the sugar spray significantly reduced the number of the nasal bacteria. The saline solution did not significantly alter the amounts of bacteria. Zabner said the UI researchers plan to test whether the sugar can be effective in preventing bacterial infection in the lungs of people who are prone to infections such as pneumonia. Dwight C. Look, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis was also part of the research team.