Pattern of Bacterial Throat-Swab Cultures: A Comparative Study of Egyptian and Libyan Patients

Acute pharyngitis is one of the most common upper respiratory tract infections, with bacterial pathogens varying according to geographical region, patient characteristics, and local epidemiology. This study aimed to compare the bacteriological profile of throat swab cultures obtained from patients with pharyngitis and healthy controls in Egypt and Libya. A prospective comparative study was conducted between December 2015 and June 2016 at the Otorhinolaryngology Department of Ain Shams University Hospitals, Egypt, and Central Hospital Tripoli, Libya. Eighty participants were enrolled, including 40 from each country, equally divided into patients with clinically diagnosed pharyngitis/tonsillitis and healthy controls. Throat swabs were collected under aseptic conditions and cultured using standard bacteriological techniques. The mean age of participants was significantly higher in Libya than in Egypt (33.28 ± 15.67 vs. 17.05 ± 13.80 years, p < 0.001), while sex distribution was comparable. Normal throat flora was the predominant finding in both countries; however, significant differences were observed in pathogenic bacterial isolates (p = 0.016). In Egyptian patients, Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus) was the only pathogenic isolate and was detected in 35.0% of cases. In Libyan patients, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the most frequent pathogens (20.0% each), followed by Streptococcus pyogenes (15.0%) and Pseudomonas species (10.0%). All healthy controls from both countries demonstrated normal throat flora. These findings indicate significant differences in the bacteriological profile of pharyngitis between Egyptian and Libyan patients, whereas the normal throat microbiota of healthy individuals was similar in both populations. Variations in age distribution and seasonal timing of sample collection may have contributed to the observed differences.