Efficacy of topical 2% mupirocin ointment for treatment of tympanostomy tube otorrhea caused by community-acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of topical 2% mupirocin ointment as an adjunctive therapy for tympanostomy tube otorrhea (TTO) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). METHODS: We treated children with community-acquired MRSA TTO by aural suctioning and culture-directed systemic antibiotics (+/- ototopical drops) alone (control group) or with the addition of single 1 ml dose of mupirocin ointment applied to the tube and ear canal (mupirocin group). Patient age, laterality, response to treatment, associate hearing loss, duration of follow-up, and recurrence of infection by MRSA or by other organisms were compared. RESULTS: 29 children (37 ears) with MRSA TTO were included. 8 children (12 ears) received adjunctive topical mupirocin ointment - 21 children (25 ears) did not. 8 of 12 ears in the mupirocin group received concomitant systemic antibiotics - 4 ears were treated with topical mupirocin alone. The mean duration of follow-up of the mupirocin group was 7 months (with 95% C.I of 7 ±â€¯7). The control group was 24 months (with 95% C.I of 24 ±â€¯9). Recurrence of MRSA TTO in the mupirocin and control groups were 0/12; 0% and 10/25; 40%, by ear, respectively (p = 0.015). Recurrence of non-MRSA TTO in the mupirocin and control groups were 6/12; 50% and 9/25; 36%, by ear, respectively (p = 1.0). There were no sensorineural hearing losses in the mupirocin-treated children. CONCLUSION: In this small series, a single application of topical mupirocin in combination with mechanical debridement, controlled infection by CA-MRSA without evidence of local reaction or subsequent hearing loss. Its role in treatment of MRSA TTO merits further investigation.

Bacterial Species and Antibiotic Sensitivity in Korean Patients Diagnosed with Acute Otitis Media and Otitis Media with Effusion.

Changes over time in pathogens and their antibiotic sensitivity resulting from the recent overuse and misuse of antibiotics in otitis media (OM) have complicated treatment. This study evaluated changes over 5 years in principal pathogens and their antibiotic sensitivity in patients in Korea diagnosed with acute OM (AOM) and OM with effusion (OME). The study population consisted of 683 patients who visited the outpatient department of otorhinolaryngology in 7 tertiary hospitals in Korea between January 2010 and May 2015 and were diagnosed with acute AOM or OME. Aural discharge or middle ear fluid were collected from patients in the operating room or outpatient department and subjected to tests of bacterial identification and antibiotic sensitivity. The overall bacteria detection rate of AOM was 62.3% and OME was 40.9%. The most frequently isolated Gram-positive bacterial species was coagulase negative Staphylococcus aureus (CNS) followed by methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and Streptococcus pneumonia (SP), whereas the most frequently isolated Gram-negative bacterium was Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). Regardless of OM subtype, ≥ 80% of CNS and MRSA strains were resistant to penicillin (PC) and tetracycline (TC); isolated MRSA strains showed low sensitivity to other antibiotics, with 100% resistant to PC, TC, cefoxitin (CFT), and erythromycin (EM); and isolated PA showed low sensitivity to quinolone antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin (CIP) and levofloxacin (LFX), and to aminoglycosides. Bacterial species and antibiotic sensitivity did not change significantly over 5 years. The rate of detection of MRSA was higher in OME than in previous studies. As bacterial predominance and antibiotic sensitivity could change over time, continuous and periodic surveillance is necessary in guiding appropriate antibacterial therapy.

Otorragia en una paciente pediátrica atendida de urgencias / No disponible

No disponible

Clinical effectiveness of ototopical application of mupirocin ointment in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus otorrhea.

OBJECTIVE: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) otorrhea has become an increasing problem with regard to infection through the tympanic membrane perforation and postsurgical infection. In particular, dry ear, at the preoperative stage, is considered to be a crucial factor in surgery. We evaluated how to control MRSA otorrhea before and after ear surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients having MRSA otorrhea were enrolled in the present study and randomly divided into 2 groups, namely, mupirocin ointment therapy for 16 patients and ofloxacin ear drops for 10 patients. Approximately 0.6 mg of mupirocin ointment was administered locally to the tympanic membrane and the promontory around and through the perforation with its adjacent external ear canal 1 to 4 times for 2 or 3 weeks at the clinic. On the other hand, ofloxacin ear drops were administered daily by the patients for 2 or 3 weeks at home. RESULTS: Complete elimination of MRSA from the ear was obtained in all patients of the mupirocin group. This showed a significant improvement (p < 0.001) as compared with the ofloxacin group (improvement + cure rate, 40%). Local application of mupirocin did not aggravate hearing acuity of any patients who were evaluated by pure-tone audiometry before and after treatment. CONCLUSION: The present findings first indicate that minimally essential application of mupirocin ointment is an extremely useful ototopical agent against MRSA otorrhea without ototoxicity.

Effect of blood and mucus on tympanostomy tube biofilm formation.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Tympanostomy tube (TT) biofilm formation may lead to refractory otorrhea and occlusion. The aim of this study was to determine whether TT biofilm formation may be promoted by mucus or blood exposure. STUDY DESIGN: In vitro, controlled. METHODS: Fluoroplastic TTs were exposed to blood, mucoid effusion, or saline. Half were allowed to dry. TTs were cultured with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. After 4 days, gentamicin was added to kill planktonic bacteria. Biofilm formation was assessed by quantitative bacterial counts and scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: Mucus pretreatment (dry and wet) did not increase biofilm formation. Both dry and wet blood exposure increased biofilm formation by bacterial counts (P < .0001). Biofilm formation was demonstrated by electron microscopy in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: P. aeruginosa biofilm formation on fluoroplastic TTs is enhanced by blood exposure. Care should be taken to minimize bleeding with TT placement to reduce the risk of biofilm formation.

[Posterior cranial fossa abscess secondary to cholesteatoma]. / Cholestéatome compliqué d'abcès de la fosse postérieure.

OBJECTIVE: The intra cranial complications of chronic ear disease continue to pose a challenge in Senegal, despite advances in anti microbial therapy. Posterior cranial fossa abscesses are rare and continue to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality rates. We describe the presentation and management of a large cerebellar abscess secondary to cholesteatoma. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 11-year-old female presented with an inflammed fluctuant swelling of the right temporal region with ipsilateral otorrhoea. Examination demonstrated an auto atticotomy, large marginal perforation of the tympanic membrane associated with polyp. A diagnosis of otomastoiditis secondary to cholesteatoma was made. The abscess of the right temporal region was incised and drained and the patient was commenced on broad spectrum antibiotics. However the patients clinical status did not improve and there was a deterioration in her neurological status. CT brain and temporal bones demonstrated a large abscess in the cerebellum. 30 CC of pus were drained through a posterior fossa burr hole by the neurosurgeons. A radical mastoidectomy for extensive cholesteatoma of the right ear was subsequently carried out when the patients condition improved. CONCLUSION: Cerebellar abscess is a life threathning condition. In the presence of complicated chronic ear disease, clinical suspicion must be high as early symptoms and signs may be misleading. A low threshold for the performance of brain imagining will aid early diagnosis and allow prompt definitive treatment.

Fungal causes of otitis externa and tympanostomy tube otorrhea.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the occurrence of fungal organisms in the setting of otitis externa and tympanostomy tube otorrhea, review the treatment course, timing of diagnosis, organism identified and time to resolution with fungal infections. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Pediatric otolaryngology clinic within a tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS: One hundred and sixty-six patients (ages 16 days to 18 years) with fungal organisms on ear culture. OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of prior therapies, number of office visits, time to resolution and anti-fungal therapy. RESULTS: Ear cultures positive for fungal organisms were found in 166 patients seen between 1 January 1996 and 30 September 2003 from a total of 1242 patients undergoing ear culture. Comparing the 3-year period (1996-1998) prior to the availability of fluoroquinolone ototopical drops to the 3-year period after (1999-2001), there is a statistically significant increase in the incidence of positive fungal culture (p<0.001). Otitis media was diagnosed in 72% of these children, with otitis externa comprising 25%. Approximately 3% carried a diagnosis of both otitis externa and otitis media. Candida albicans was identified in 43% of fungal organism-positive cultures. Candida parapsilosis was found in 24% of and Aspergillus fumigatus in 13%. The remainder of the cultures yielded three other Candida and three other Aspergillus species, each at less than 5%. Time to resolution ranged from 1 week to 9 months, with a median of 3.8 weeks for symptom resolution. Patients were treated with an average of 1.7 oral antibiotics and 1.1 ototopical agent before a culture was taken. CONCLUSIONS: Otorrhea due to fungal organisms occurs in the setting of refractory infection and is often discovered after multiple oral and ototopical antibacterial medications. Due to the extended treatment period required to clear fungal organism, timely diagnosis with culture for bacteria and fungus is required in patients with persistent otorrhea. An increase in incidence of fungal infections of the ear was found in the period after widespread use of ofloxacin began.

Mastoid subperiosteal abscess: a review of 51 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To present a large study on subperiosteal abscess (SA) that represents the most frequent complication of acute mastoiditis. METHOD: A retrospective study was conducted on 49 patients who underwent mastoidectomy for SA. RESULTS: The patients ranged in age from 8 months to 21 years. Two patients were re operated on the same side due to recurrent abscess. Forty-five percent of the patients were treated using antibiotics at home and 58.8% of patients had no history of middle ear infection prior to admission. CT underestimated abscess in two patients who were operated on based on their clinical signs. Perisinus abscess was drained during mastoidectomy in one child. Purulent discharge was obtained from the abscess in 41 cases. The most common isolated pathogens were Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. Cholesteatoma was found during mastoidectomy in six patients (11.3%). Twenty-four patients (49%) developed postoperative sequela including various middle ear infections, mastoiditis, recurrent SA and impaired hearing. CONCLUSIONS: Mastoid SA is a unilateral mainly children's disease that can recur. Cholesteatoma can associate the abscess and could be found in older children and recurrent abscess. High morbidity rate requires long-term follow-up for these patients.

Topical ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone is superior to ciprofloxacin alone in pediatric patients with acute otitis media and otorrhea through tympanostomy tubes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether topical administration of a corticosteroid improves resolution of acute tympanostomy tube otorrhea when combined with topical antibiotic drops. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, patient-masked, parallel-group, multicenter trial of topical otic ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone versus topical ciprofloxacin alone in 201 children aged 6 months to 12 years with acute otitis media with tympanostomy tubes (AOMT) of less than or equal to 3 weeks' duration and visible otorrhea. METHODS: Eligible patients were randomized to receive three drops of either ciprofloxacin 0.3%/dexamethasone 0.1% or ciprofloxacin 0.3% into the affected ear or ears twice daily for 7 days. Clinical signs and symptoms of AOMT were evaluated on days 1 (baseline), 3, 8 (end-of-therapy), and 14 (test-of-cure), and twice-daily assessments of otorrhea were recorded in patient diaries. RESULTS: The mean time to cessation of otorrhea in the microbiologically culture-positive patient population (n = 167) was significantly shorter with topical ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone than with ciprofloxacin alone (4.22 vs. 5.31 days; P =.004). This resulted in significantly better clinical responses on days 3 and 8 (P <.0001 and P =.0499, respectively). However, there were no significant differences between the two treatment groups in either the clinical response or the microbial eradication rate by day 14. CONCLUSIONS: Topical otic treatment with ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone is superior to treatment with ciprofloxacin alone and results in a faster clinical resolution in children with AOMT. The contribution of the corticosteroid in achieving a 20% reduction (1.1 day) in time to cessation of otorrhea is clinically meaningful and represents an important advance over single-agent antibiotic therapy.

[Tuberculous otitis media. Report of 3 cases]. / Otitis media tuberculosa. Estudio de 3 casos.

Tuberculous otitis media (TOM) is a rare cause of chronic suppurative infection of the middle ear. Due to that the symptoms and signs are often indistinguishable from those of nontuberculosis chronic otitis media and the fact that the index of suspicion is low, there is frequently a considerable delay prior to diagnosis. This can lead to irreversible complications such as facial nerve paralysis and labyrinthitis. Medical therapy with antituberculous drugs is usually effective. We report three cases with TOM diagnosticated and followed up in our Service from january 1993 to july 2001. Their charts were retrospectively reviewed for relevant historical data, physical findings, complementary studies, treatment and clinical response. We performed a review of the literature, emphasizing that TOM should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic otitis media.

Congenital tuberculosis with facial nerve palsy.

Congenital tuberculosis is unusual, and central nervous system involvement is even more rare. We report a case of congenital tuberculosis presenting with facial palsy and purulent otorrhea.

Changes in bacteriology of discharging ears.

A bacteriological study on 161 consecutive out-patients presenting with otorrhoea was performed prospectively at a local teaching hospital in Taiwan between August 2000 and June 2001. A total of 177 isolates were recovered. Staphylococcus aureus was found in 77 (43.5 per cent) isolates, and non-Staphylococcus aureus in 100 (56.5 per cent) isolates. Pseudomas sp was found to be the most common pathogen (28.8 per cent) in the non-Staphylococcus aureus group. Staphylococcus aureus had become more common than Pseudomonas aeruginosa in acute otitis externa, granular myringitis, and chronic otitis media in Taiwan. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was also an increasing problem in all three disease entities. The prevalence of community-acquired MRSA infections in discharging ears was found to be 13.7 per cent (22/161). MRSAs were highly susceptible to vancomycin, teicoplanin, fusidic acid, and minocycline. More studies should be done to determine the susceptibility of MRSA to ofloxacin in the future.

Posterior canal wall reconstruction tympanoplasty for operated ears with open mastoid.

We investigated the postoperative conditions of ears and the hearing acuity of patients who underwent posterior canal wall reconstruction tympanoplasty for operated ears with open mastoid. The study included 118 ears of 105 patients (57 males, 48 females; age range 5-75 years) and the patients were followed for > 1 year after the final operation. Although 114 ears (97%) were dry after the final operation, retraction pockets and eardrums in a lateral position were observed in 5 ears and in 1 ear, respectively. Ossicular reconstruction was performed in 83 ears and in these the mean air conduction hearing levels were significantly improved after the final operation in those that were subjected to type III and IV tympanoplasty. These results indicate that posterior canal wall reconstruction tympanoplasty can be considered to be an effective procedure.

[2% solution of vagothyl in the treatment of persistent otorrhea]. / 2% roztwór vagothylu w leczeniu uporczywych ropotoków usznych.

Drying of the ear in the chronic purulent otitis media prevents further lesions of the anatomic structures and allows for performing the surgery significantly decreasing the risk of any potential complications. In the search for a safe medicines that can be used for drying of the ear in persistent otorrhoea the examinations on vagothyl have been conducted. The aim of this work was to assess the outcome of treating of persistent otorrhoeas with 2% solution of vagothyl. The results were compared to those achieved when 4% vagothyl's solution was applied. The effects of the treatment with both strengths of the vagothyl's solution were similar. In case of usage of 2% solution of vagothyl there were fewer side effects. The method of treatment was modified in order to eliminate the possibility of occurring of the iatrogenic lesions.

Otogenic intracranial infections in adults.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the type and bacteriology of otologic diseases associated with bacterial meningitis in adults. METHOD: Retrospective review of 79 patients over an 18-year period. RESULTS: Acute otitis media was diagnosed in 32 patients, chronic otitis in 29 (16 with cholesteatoma), and cerebrospinal fluid leak in 18. Streptococcus pneumoniae was a common cause of meningitis-complicating acute otitis media (69%) or cerebrospinal fluid leak (50%), whereas other bacteria or negative cultures were found in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with chronic otitis. Surgery was performed promptly in 26 patients; four patients died. CONCLUSIONS: Early diagnosis of otogenic bacterial meningitis is essential to allow appropriate antimicrobial treatment. Antimicrobials active on gram negative bacilli and anaerobes should be used in patients with chronic otitis. An emergency surgical procedure is required in patients whose neurologic or infectious status fails to improve under antimicrobial treatment.

Early post-tympanostomy otorrhea in children under 17 months of age.

A total number of 281 consecutive children with recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM) or otitis media with effusion (OME) was treated with ventilation tubes (VT), inserted under local anesthesia. Patients were prospectively followed-up for post-tympanostomy otorrhea, classified as "early" if observed within 7 days of the tympanostomy procedure. The age of children ranged from 5 to 16 months (average 10.1 months). VT were placed bilaterally in 279 of 281 children. The average length of otitis media (OM) history prior to tympanostomy was 3.4 months. An episode of OM had been diagnosed 1-2 times in 18.9%, 3-4 times in 68.0%, and at least 5 times in 13.1% of the children. Middle ear effusion (MEE), most often classified as mucoid was present in 65.8% of the ears. Cultures were positive for bacteria in 41 of the 185 ears with MEE (22.2%). The mastoid air cell system was radiographically normal in 9.6% and markedly clouded in 56.6%. Early post-tympanostomy otorrhea was observed in 16.0% of ears, occurring more often when MEE, especially mucopurulent, was present at tympanostomy (p < 0.01). The risk of otorrhea was significantly increased by a positive culture for pathogenic bacteria in MEE (p < 0.01) and highly significantly by the advanced opacification of the mastoid air cell system (p < 0.001). It is concluded that early post-tympanostomy otorrhea in young children is caused by the advanced infectious process in the middle ear cleft, including mastoid cell system rather than by the tympanostomy procedure itself. It may indicate the need for more active treatment in this age group.

[Otorrhea on transtympanic aerator]. / Les otorrhées sur aérateur transtympanique.

BACKGROUND: Purulent otorrhea is the most common complication of tympanostomy tubes. POPULATION AND METHODS: Results of culture of otorrhea in 33 consecutive cases were compared to two similar studies performed 4 and 8 years ago in the same institution. RESULTS: The most frequent organisms were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae (45, 24, 21 and 15% of the cases, respectively). Such flora resembles that of external otitis and chronic otitis media (P aeruginosa and S pneumoniae). CONCLUSION: Sensitivity of the organisms encountered in these otorrheas favors the use of topical drops rather than oral antibiotics as the first choice of treatment.