Effect of climate on the bacteriology of chronic suppurative otitis media.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the correlation between the microbial content of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) and regional climatic parameters.


METHODS
We assessed the interrelations between monthly mean records of temperature, maximum temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity and the aerobic microbial flora in CSOM.


RESULTS
Forty-three bacteria of Enterobacteriaceae, 67 staphylococcal spp, 51 Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 9 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 1 alpha-hemolytic Streptococcus, 1 Enterococcus sp, and 2 Edwardsiella tarda strains were recovered from 173 patients with CSOM. There was a good relationship between enteric bacteria and monthly mean temperature (r = 0.501) and significant colonization rates due to increasing monthly mean temperature (p = .040) and monthly mean maximum temperature values (p = .048).


CONCLUSIONS
When the weather warmed, the frequency of isolation of enteric bacteria increased significantly. Temperature changes may affect the enteric bacterial colonization of CSOM.
Yildirim
Altan
A
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Cumhuriyet University Medical Faculty, Sivas , Turkey.
Erdem
Hakan
H
Kilic
Selim
S
Yetiser
Sertac
S
Pahsa
Alaaddin
A
D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002980:Climate; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000382:microbiology*; D013696:Temperature