title: The microbiome of otitis media with effusion.
abstract: The adenoid pad has been considered a reservoir for bacteria in the pathogenesis of otitis media with effusion. This study aimed to characterize the middle ear microbiota in children with otitis media with effusion and establish whether a correlation exists between the middle ear and adenoid microbiota.
  
  
  
  Prospective, controlled study.
  
  
  
  Middle ear aspirates adenoid pad swabs were collected from 23 children undergoing ventilation tube insertion. Adenoid swabs from patients without ear disease were controls. Samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform.
  
  
  
  Thirty-five middle ear samples were collected. The middle ear effusion microbiota was dominated by Alloiococcus otitidis (23% mean relative abundance), Haemophilus (22%), Moraxella (5%), and Streptococcus (5%). Alloiococcus shared an inverse correlation with Haemophilus (P = .049) and was found in greater relative abundance in unilateral effusion (P = .004). The microbiota of bilateral effusions from the same patient were similar (P < .001). However, the otitis media with effusion microbiota were found to be dissimilar to that of the adenoid (P = .01), whereas the adenoid microbiota of otitis media with effusion and control patients were similar (P > .05) (permutational multivariate analysis of the variance).
  
  
  
  Dissimilarities between the local microbiota of the adenoid and the middle ear question the theory that the adenoid pad is a significant reservoir to the middle ear in children with otitis media with effusion. A otitidis had the greatest cumulative relative abundance, particularly in unilateral effusions, and shares an inverse correlation with the relative abundance of Haemophilus.
  
  
  
  NA Laryngoscope, 126:2844-2851, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Adelaide University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Chun Ling
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, The Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wabnitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Adelaide University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Jake Jervis
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Bardy
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Adelaide University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bassiouni
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Adelaide University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter-John
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Wormald
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Adelaide University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vreugde
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Adelaide University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Alkis James
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Psaltis
mesh_terms: D000234:Adenoids / Q000382:microbiology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004432:Ear, Middle / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D064307:Microbiota; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000382:microbiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: Alloiococcus otitidis; Haemophilus influenzae; Microbiome; effusion; microbiota; middle ear; otitis media; pediatric