Identification of the Bacterial Pathogens in Children with Otitis Media: A Study in the Northwestern Portuguese District of Braga

Understanding the bacterial etiology of otitis media (OM) is important when designing and evaluating the best course of treatment. This study analyzed middle ear fluid (MEF) and nasopharynx (NP) samples collected from 49 children with OM undergoing myringotomy in the northwestern Portuguese district...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microorganisms (Basel) 2022-01, Vol.10 (1), p.54
Main Authors: Silva, Maria Daniela, Lima, António, Marçal, Nuno, Dias, Luís, Gama, Miguel, Sillankorva, Sanna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibiotics
Bacteria
Biofilms
Children
Costs
culture
DNA polymerase
Ear diseases
Etiology
Genes
Immunization
Middle ear
Nasopharynx
Otitis media
Pathogens
Polymerase chain reaction
prevalence
Serotypes
Sheep
Species
Staphylococcus infections
Streptococcus infections
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Surgery
Viral infections
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Summary:Understanding the bacterial etiology of otitis media (OM) is important when designing and evaluating the best course of treatment. This study analyzed middle ear fluid (MEF) and nasopharynx (NP) samples collected from 49 children with OM undergoing myringotomy in the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga. A correlation between species in the NP and MEF was observed following pathogen detection by culture and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods. Bacterial identification using culturing methods showed that was the most representative in NP and MEF, followed by . However, qPCR of MEF showed a higher prevalence (61%) of . was not the most frequently identified species, but it still remains one of the leading causes of OM in this region despite 93.9% of the children being vaccinated with the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Furthermore, 46% of the samples analyzed by qPCR identified more than two bacterial species. and were the most frequent combination identified in NP and MEF samples by culturing methods. Additionally, a few NP and MEF samples simultaneously presented the three main otopathogens. These results point out that polymicrobial infections play an important role in OM. Further studies characterizing the serotypes of the strains isolated, their resistance profile, and their biofilm forming ability would help in the development of more targeted strategies against otitis media.
ISSN:2076-2607
2076-2607
DOI:10.3390/microorganisms10010054