Ear microbiota and middle ear disease: a longitudinal pilot study of Aboriginal children in a remote south Australian setting.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Otitis media (OM) is a major disease burden in Australian Aboriginal children, contributing to serious long-term health outcomes. We report a pilot analysis of OM in children attending an outreach ear and hearing clinic in a remote south Australian community over a two-year period. Our study focuses on longitudinal relationships between ear canal microbiota characteristics with nasopharyngeal microbiota, and clinical and treatment variables.

Results

Middle ear health status were assessed in 19 children (aged 3 months to 8 years) presenting in remote western South Australia and medical interventions were recorded. Over the two-year study period, chronic suppurative OM was diagnosed at least once in 7 children (37%), acute OM with perforation in 4 children (21%), OM

SUBMITTER: Taylor SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8756658 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature