Alloiococcus otitidis in acute otitis media.
OBJECTIVE
The bacterium Alloiococcus otitidis has been found to be associated with otitis media with effusion (OME). When the culture method is used, its detection rate is low, whereas applying the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) yields significantly higher frequencies. This study was carried out to investigate the incidence of A. otitidis in children with acute otitis media (AOM).


METHODS
Multiplex PCR was used to detect A. otitidis together with Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae in the middle ear effusions (MEEs) of 118 children with AOM. The clinical outcome of AOM and the bacterial findings of MEEs were compared.


RESULTS
A. otitidis was detected in 25% (30 of 118) of the tested MEE samples. Children over 2 years of age had significantly more often A. otitidis-positive MEEs (37%; 22 of 59) than younger children (14%; 8 of 59) (chi-square test, P<0.01). There were no significant differences in the duration, clinical failures (after antibiotic treatment), or number of recurrences of AOM between the A. otitidis-positive and A. otitidis-negative children.


CONCLUSIONS
A. otitidis is found from the MEEs of AOM. The present data suggest that it has no clinical significance in AOM, and it does not increase the risk of developing OME after AOM.
Leskinen
Kimmo
K
Department of Otolaryngology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 4E, P.O. Box 220, Helsinki, HUCH 00029, Finland. kimmo.leskinen@hus.fi
Hendolin
Panu
P
Virolainen-Julkunen
Anni
A
Ylikoski
Jukka
J
Jero
Jussi
J
D000208:Acute Disease; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D006095:Gram-Positive Cocci / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000302:isolation & purification