Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39963740›Full record

ArticleThe Laryngoscope2025

Can Oral Swabs Be Used to Diagnose Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Cervicofacial Lymphadenitis?

Samuel H Willemse, Luc H E Karssemakers, Marjolijn A E M Oomens, Willem H Schreuder, Jean-Pierre T F Ho, Marion Kolader, Robin van Houdt, Martijn van der Kuip, Gina R Buijsers, Jan de Lange and 1 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Laryngoscope, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Samuel H WillemseDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Amsterdam UMC and Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-4527-0528
Luc H E KarssemakersDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Amsterdam UMC and Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Marjolijn A E M OomensDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, the Netherlands.
Willem H SchreuderDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Amsterdam UMC and Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Jean-Pierre T F HoDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Amsterdam UMC and Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Marion KoladerDepartment of Medical Microbiology & Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Robin van HoudtDepartment of Medical Microbiology & Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Martijn van der KuipDepartment of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Emma Children's Hospital, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Gina R BuijsersDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Amsterdam UMC and Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Jan de LangeDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Amsterdam UMC and Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Jerome A LindeboomDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Amsterdam UMC and Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveWe investigated the presence of mycobacteria in the oral cavity and oropharynx of children with nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) cervicofacial lymphadenitis compared to negative controls. Our aim was to evaluate whether oral cavity and oropharyngeal swab sampling could serve as a minimally invasive alternative to diagnostic sampling of excised lymph node tissue or punctate.

methodsChildren who underwent surgery under general anesthesia due to a strong clinical suspicion of NTM cervicofacial lymphadenitis were enrolled in this multicenter cross-sectional study. The control group comprised children undergoing surgery under general anesthesia for reasons other than lymphadenopathy. The obtained oropharyngeal, dorsal tongue, and gingival swabs were subjected to mycobacterial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis.

resultsA total of 67 subjects were enrolled in this study, 31 of whom underwent surgery due to strong clinical suspicion of NTM cervicofacial lymphadenitis. Positive genus and Mycobacterium avium specific PCR results were found in one patient from the control group, and in none of the patients with (suspected) NTM cervicofacial lymphadenitis.

conclusionOur in-house routine diagnostic PCR assay on oral and oropharyngeal swabs was not suitable as a minimally invasive alternative to diagnostic sampling of excised lymph node material or punctate. It remains unclear whether the oral cavity and oropharynx might be a portal of entry for mycobacteria in NTM cervicofacial lymphadenitis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2:

Indexed as

LymphadenitisMouthMycobacterium Infections, NontuberculousNontuberculous MycobacteriaOropharynxSpecimen HandlingAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansInfantMaleNeckPolymerase Chain Reactionchildrendiagnosticslymphadenitismycobacterianontuberculous

Identifiers

PMID39963740
PMCPMC12230899

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.