title: Changes in bacteriology of discharging ears.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Poh-Ai Hospital, Lotung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Juen-Haur
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Chih-Kai
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Tien-Chen
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002558:Cerebrospinal Fluid Otorrhea / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008875:Middle Aged; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000150:complications*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus