title: Do Staphylococcus aureus superantigens play a role in the pathogenesis of otitis media with effusion in children?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs), acting as superantigens, have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases of the upper and lower airway. There has been no previous study investigating the role of SEs in otitis media with effusion (OME). Therefore, this study was designed to analyze middle ear aspirates from children with and without OME for the presence of SEs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Middle ear aspirates were obtained from 24 patients and 24 controls. All samples were processed for bacterial culture and detection of five staphylococcal SEs (SEA, SEB, SEC and SED) and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 using the Rapid Latex Agglutination Test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In bacterial culture assays, six samples (25%) of the study group and five samples (20.8%) of the control group showed bacterial growth. At least one SE was demonstrated in 6 of 24 patients and in 3 of 24 controls. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups with respect to the presence of SEs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although there is evidence that SEs have a potential role in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases, there is no evidence that the inflammation process is initiated by SEs in patients with OME.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine, Korucuk, Sakarya, Turkey. Electronic address: drdenizdemir@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine, Korucuk, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Oğuz
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Karabay
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine, Korucuk, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Güven
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine, Korucuk, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gürkan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kayabasoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine, Korucuk, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mahmut Sinan
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology*; D018089:Superantigens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D018089:Superantigens; C030107:enterotoxin F, Staphylococcal
keywords: Bacteria; Biofilm; Enterotoxin; Myringotomy; Otitis media with effusion