Chronic otitis media in children. Microbiological studies
I. Brook
Aspiration of the exudate through the open perforation was performed in 68
children with chronic otitis media. The middle ear aspirate and a swab
specimen of the external auditory canal were cultured aerobically and
anaerobically. Seventy-eight isolates were recovered from the middle ears,
99 from the external ear canals, and 95 were present at both sites. Aerobes
only were isolated from 33 patients (48.5%), nine (13.2%) had only
anaerobes, and 26 (38%) had a culture that grew both aerobes and anaerobes.
There were 99 aerobic isolates. Aerobes commonly recovered were Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus sp, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and
Haemophilus influenzae. There were 74 anaerobes isolated. Anaerobes
commonly isolated were anerobic Gram-positive cocci, Bacteroides sp, and
Clostridium sp. These findings demonstrate the polymicrobial bacteriology
of chronic otitis media in children. Cultures collected from the external
auditory canals prior to their sterilization can be misleading. Reliable
information can be obtained from the ear exudates when collected through
the open perforation in the tympanic membrane.
