Bacterial and fungal organisms in otitis externa patients without fungal infection risk factors in Erzurum, Turkey.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the bacterial and fungal organisms in otitis externa patients without other risk factors for fungal infections.


METHODS
Cross sectional cohort descriptive study.


METHODS
Ear swabs were obtained from 362 patients aged 1 to 55 years old with clinically diagnosed otitis externa in Erzurum, Turkey, between January 2006 and April 2007, and cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and fungi, using EMB, 5% sheep's blood, chocolate agar, anaerobic blood agar plate, thioglycollate broth and sabaroud agar using standard microbiological technique to diagnose isolates.


RESULTS
219 cultures were positive and a total of 267 isolates were obtained. Of the isolates, 68.16% (n: 182) were aerobic or facultative bacteria, 1.12 % (3) were anaerobic bacteria, 30.71 % (82) were fungi and 17.5 % (38) were polymicrobial infections.


CONCLUSIONS
Fungal organisms especially Candida species may be isolated from ears of otitis externa patients without fungal infection risk factors such as ear self-cleaning, local antimicrobial, antifungal or corticosteroid drops or systemic antimicrobial or antifungal agents within the preceding week. Bacterial and fungal cultures may be recommended, and anti-fungal agents may be added, to treatment regimens in patients with otitis externa.
Enoz
Murat
M
Deniz Abdal Mahallesi, Veled Celebi Sokak, No:42 Isik Apartmani, A Blok, Daire :9, Findikade, Fatih, Postal Code: 34092, Ystanbul, Turkey. muratenoz@gmail.com
Sevinc
Irfan
I
Lapeña
Jose Florencio
JF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010032:Otitis Externa / Q000382:microbiology*; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult