Evaluation of Microbial Agents in Patients with Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media

Objective: Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is a disease caused by microorganisms, which occurs as a result of the chronicity of acute otitis media cases. Our study aims to identify causative microorganisms with ear cultures taken from patients with COM and to compare their sensitivity to various antibiotics. Method: Included 108 patients who were diagnosed with CSOM. Ear discharge was sampled with sterile plastic swabs. The samples taken were inoculated on blood agar, eosin methylene blue agar, sabouraud dextrose agar, chocolate agar, Mueller-Hinton agar and triple sugar iron agar mediums. Antibiotic susceptibility profiles of the isolated pathogens were evaluated using the Vitek 2 and disk diffusion method. Results: In our study Staphylococcus aureus grew in 28 (25.9%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 25 (23.1%), Proteus mirabilis in 8 (7.4%), and Klebsiella spp in 12 (11.1%) of the studied samples. In addition, it was determined that 14 (13%) patients had fungal agents as the source of infection. In antimicrobial susceptibility tests, for S. aureus vancomycin and tigecycline were found to be 100% and 96% sensitive, respectively; for P. mirabilis meropenem and amikacin were 100% sensitive; and for Klebsiella pneumoniae, 100% sensitivity of imipenem and amikacin was detected. Conclusion: Inadequate and wrong treatments are those that are not based on culture and antibioGram results. Therefore, detecting the causative pathogen in the microbiology laboratory, producing an antibioGram, and presenting the most appropriate treatment options to clinicians will prevent the loss of time it will cause the patient in terms of treatment of this disease and pave the way for more rational treatments. To prevent the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in CSOM patients, it is recommended to evaluate the microbiological profile and antibiotic susceptibility profile of these patients