MICROBIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF CHRONIC SUPPURATIVE OTITIS MEDIA

BackgroundChronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM)is one of the commonest diseases in developing countries affecting all age groups, especially children of lower socio-economic group. Early and appropriate management of active disease reduces the duration of illness, preventing complications like mastoiditis, sensori-neural deafness and facial paralysis. The aim of the study is to isolate the bacterial and fungal pathogens involved and to determine their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern in patients attending the ENT OP department of a tertiary care hospital.Materials and methodsA total of 100 patients with unilateral or bilateral CSOM with active ear disease attending the ENT OPD were included in the study over a period of 3 months from September 2012 to November 2012. Pus samples were collected from patients with discharging ears using sterile cotton swabs and processed in the microbiology laboratory using standard techniques for the isolation and identification of bacterial and fungal isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the bacterial isolates was performed by disc diffusion method.Results Among the 100 cases evaluated in the study, a total of 87 organisms were isolated from 84 patients with predominance of Gram negative bacilli. Monomicrobial infection was observed in 81 patients (81 isolates) and polymicrobial infection in 3 patients (6 isolates). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the commonest organism isolated (28.3) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (21). Fungal isolates accounted for 6.89 , which included Candida species and Aspergillus species. Sensitivity pattern of gram negative bacilli showed highest sensitivity to cefoperazone sulbactum followed by amikacin and that of Gram positive cocci showed highest sensitivity to amoxycillin- clavulanic acid followed by amikacin.Conclusion The study highlighted Pseudomonas aeruginosa as the commonest organism isolated from patients with CSOM followed by S.aureus. Amikacin was found to be effective against both Gram negative bacilli and Gram positive cocci.