Changes in the microbial flora of the external auditory canal in hospitalised patients treated with systemic antibiotics

This work was carried out on 150 subjects divided into three groups: Group A [100 hospitalized patients receiving antibiotic therapy for more than 10 days], group B [25 hospitalized patients who did not receive antibiotics for the past 30 days] and group C [25 non hospitalized persons receiving no antibiotics for at least the past 30 days]. Groups B and C act as controls. Cultures from both external auditory canals were collected, cultured and examined. Results revealed that antibiotic is the major factor determining the colonization of group A with Gram-negative bacilli and fungi. The isolated Gram-negative bacilli may play a role in suppurative ear disease