Detection of bacteria in the nasopharyngeal secretion and effusion associated with serous otitis media

Abstract

En Abstract Objective This study aimed at evaluating the accuracy of nasopharyngeal (NP) specimens in the identification of pathogens in the middle-ear fluid (MEF) in patients with otitis media with effusion. Materials and methods This was a prospective, hospital-based study with a cross-sectional design to evaluate the accuracy of NP isolates in identifying MEF pathogens and a case-control design to study NP secretion specimens taken from children undergoing an operation with no otologic indication, the middle-ear swab taken from patients undergoing stapedectomy, and middle-ear secretions taken from patients with secretory otitis media (SOM) of an older age group regarding the tympanogram result, radiograph, and endoscopy. Results The numbers and percentages of patients showed significant numbers of bacteria in both the MEF and the NP swap, and showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). Conclusion Otitis media is the second most common disease of childhood and is responsible for a significant number of visits to the pediatrician. About 10% of the cases with middle-ear effusion after an episode of acute otitis media can persist for more than 3 months. Hearing loss associated with serous otitis media (SOM) can potentially have a detrimental effect on speech and language development.

Keywords

• acute otitis media
• middle-ear effusion
• nasopharyngeal specimen
• otitis media with effusion
• serous otitis media