helou, diane saint-joseph university - university hospital hôtel-dieu de france, faculty of medicine - otorhinolaryngology – head neck surgery department, Beirut, Lebanon , rassi, simon saint-joseph university - university hospital hôtel-dieu de france, faculty of medicine - otorhinolaryngology – head neck surgery department, Beirut, Lebanon

DO BACTERIA HAVE A ROLE IN THE GENESIS OF OTITIS MEDIA WITH EFFUSION? The Lebanese Experience

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Background: Otitis media with effusion (OME)is one of the most frequent diseases in the pediatric population.The ongoing incrimination of bacteria in the pathogenesisof OME may have therapeutic implications. Objective : To describe the pathogens cultured from the middle ear effusion of Lebanese children with persistent OME. Methods: Seventeen consecutive children (29 ears) undergoing tympanostomy tube insertion for persistent OME unresponsive to medical treatment were enrolled between January 2011 and January 2012. The middle ear effusion was sent for bacteriological analysis and Gram staining. Results : No bacteria were isolated. A small sample, lack of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) use, bacterial biofilms and other possible causes for this discordance between our results and the literature are discussed. Conclusion : Our study shows no bacterial origin in the genesis of OME. Further larger studies using PCR are needed to determine OME microbiology in Lebanon.

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otitis media with effusion , bacteria , microbiology , culture , tympanostomy tube

Lebanese Medical Journal

149