The bacterial etiology of otitis media and their antibiogram among children in Gaza Strip, Palestine

Background: Otitis media is the most common reason for children to visit a medical practitioner and it is an important cause of preventable hearing loss. It is a common reason for anti- biotic prescription in young children. There are no reports or published data on the susceptibility profiles of bacteria isolated from ear infections in the Gaza Strip. Objective: To determine the bacterial etiology of otitis media and their antimicrobial susceptibil- ity profiles among children in Gaza Strip. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional prospective study was performed in ENT clinics in Gaza Strip from October 2012 to June 2013. A total of 120 ear samples collected from children up to 15 years were cultured according to the standard microbiological procedures. Isolates were identi- fied by conventional methods and the antibiotic susceptibility profiles were determined by the stan- dard disk diffusion method. Results: Bacterial isolates included Pseudomonas aeruginosa (32.5%), Staphylococcus aureus (23.3%), Proteus spp. (20%) and Streptococcus spp. (9.2%). The Gram positive bacteria antibio- gram revealed high sensitivity to ceftriaxone (90%) and cefaclore (90-100%). While Gram neg- ative bacteria antibiogram reveals they were sensitive to ciprofloxacin (100%), gentamycin (90- 100%), and ceftriaxone (100%) except for P. aeruginosa that showed resistance to many antimicro- bial agents by means of multiple drug resistance (MDR). Conclusion: Low levels of resistance were found among most clinical isolates in general to the commonly used antibiotics, however, an increased frequency of MRSA was detected. Public aware- ness should be promoted to reduce risk factors associated with otitis media and empirical treatment protocols should be reviewed. a 2014 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Egyptian Society of Ear, Nose, Throat and Allied Sciences.