Duration of preservation of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae in the sputum and bronchial washings of patients with acute and chronic pneumonias

The study of 108 samples of pathological material stored in a common refrigerator revealed that S. pneumoniae survived, on the average, for 7.6 days in sputum samples and for 4.2 days in bronchial washings, while Haemophilus influenzae could be detected in these materials, on the average, only within 48 hours. After 24-hour storage at 4-8 degrees C pneumococci were detected in all sputum samples and in 88.2% of bronchial washings, H. influenzae was detected ins 85% of these samples; the concentration of the above-mentioned microorganisms in the pathological material stored at 4-8 degrees C for 24 hours decreased, on the average, by 2.3-2.6 lg per ml.