aerobic aetiological agents of chronic suppurative otitis media among children (1-16 years), yemen: implications for treatment

Objective: chronic suppurative otitis media (csom) is a common cause of disabled hearing impairment in developing worlds. we aimed todetermine the aerobic aetiological agents of csom among children 1 to 16 years-old, studying the microbial susceptibility to antibiotics and its implications for treatment. methods: prospective case series study carried out in khalifa bin zayed hospital, socotra island in collaboration with hadramouth central laboratories – yemen, conducted during the period from june 2011 to june 2012.study procedures involved completing the questionnaire, otoscopic ear examination and swab samples collected from one or both ears of children with csom for tests of microbial agents and sensitivity to antibiotics. results: among 76 children with csom studied, 42 [55%] were male. the mean age was 6.1 (range from 1 years to 16 years). a total of 86 swab samples were conducted from one or both ears. pseudomonas aerogiunosa 28/86 [33%] was the commonest microbial organism to cause csom, followed by proteus spp 20/86 [23%], staphylococcus aureus 18/86 [21%], e. coli 14/86 [16%], klebsiella 2/86 [2%], enterobacteria 1/86 [1%] and three samples were sterile accounting for 4%.of antimicrobials tested to four species, ciporfloxacillin has the highest susceptibility rate. conclusion: the etiological agents of csom in the children studied demonstrates a commonest of pseudomonas aeroguinosa, followed by proteus spp and staphylococcus aureus. all organisms were sensitive to ciprofloxacillin. implications for treatment indicates quinolone as a good option in the treatment of csom. there is a need for better understanding of microbial and antimicrobial profiles of csom in the region.