Microflora in chronic suppurative otitis media

ABSTRACT

To elucidate relative proportion of various bacteria falling in two major conventional groups of chronic suppurative otitis media namely tubotympanic and atticoantral. Design: Study of 150 patients in OPD involving 82 cases of atticoantral type of chronic suppurative otitis media and 68 cases of tubotympanic disease. Setting: Department of E.N.T. Services Hospital, Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore. 150 consecutive cases of chronic suppurative otitis media. Main outcome measures: Categorization of chronic suppurative otitis media into atticoantral or tubotympanic type in view of clinical features, examination under microscope and investigations. Processing of swab from each case for aerobic and an aerobic culture. Various strains of microflora found in 82 cases of atticoantral type of chronic suppurative otitis media were pseudomonas aeruginosa in 37 cases [45.3%] proteus in 18 [12.2%] staphylococci in 10 [12.1%], E. Coli in 03 [3.6%], Klebsiella in 03 [3.6%] and Anaerobes in 11 [13.3%]. On the other hand the commonest micro-organism in 68 cases of tubotympanic variety was staphylococcus in 28 patients [41.1%]. The other strains isolated in this group were pseudomonas in 21 cases [30.9%1, proteus 08 [11.8%], E.Coli 05 [7.4%], Klebsiella 04 [5.9%] and anaerobes 02 [2.9%]. Conclusions: The commonest infecting organism in atticoantral type of suppurative otitis media are gram negative rods with pseudomonas dominating the picture while staphylococci are the most commonly found organisms in tubotympanic pathology with gram negative organisms and few anaerobes forming the rest of main bulk in this infective process