Ciliocytophthoria: Cytomorphologic Modifications in Viral Infections of the Nasal Mucosa

The term ciliocytophthoria (CCP) (Greek etymology) describes a degenerative phenomenon of the ciliated cells secondary to respiratory viral infections and characterized by specific morphological changes. In the winter 2014-2015, we examined 12 patients, aged between 12 and 32 years (mean age 21, F/M: 4/8) who attended the clinic of Rhinology of the University Hospital Center of Bari (Italy) with a viral infection of the upper airways. All subjects underwent nasal cytology for microscopic examination and preparations were stained using the technique of May-Grünwald Giemsa. Our study describes CCP precisely in all its developmental stages by means of microscopic examination of the nasal mucosa (nasal cytology).