MICROBIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF AN ACTIVE TUBOTYMPANIC TYPE OF CHRONIC SUPPURATIVE OTITIS MEDIA

Abstract

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to isolate the organisms associated with a tubotympanic type of CSOM in a tertiary care centre and to detect the antibiogram of the isolates of the aerobic bacteria.

Materials & methods:

One hundred and twelve aural swabs from the ears that were actively discharging of 110 patients were analysed from February 2008 to January 2009. Using pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, the smears were obtained using sterile cotton microswabs, and cultured for microbial flora. Drug susceptibility testing was conducted using a modified Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method.

Results:

The most common causal organisms isolated were Staphylococcus aureus (29.2%) followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (28.3%) amongst the 106 bacterial isolates. Fungi accounted for 1.8% of the isolates while 3.5% were anaerobes. The antimicrobial profile of the major isolates i.e. Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas revealed maximum sensitivity to cephalosporins (83%, 100% respectively) and to fluoroquinoles (76%, 97% respectively).

Conclusion:

Most of the isolates showed high sensitivity to cephalosporins and furoquinolones and at the same time high resistance to ampicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid.

Keywords: Antibiotics, chronic otitis media, microbiology