Aim: To identify and know the antimicrobial sensitivities of the aerobic bacteria in patients with acute otitis externa (AOE).
Materials and methods: Sixty-six patients of acute otitis externa were prospectively analysed at a tertiary care centre in North-India from May 2021 to April 2022. Samples for culture and sensitivity were sent to the microbiology department and the results analysed.
Results: A total of 50 samples yielded positive results for bacterial cultures. The gram-negative isolates were 60%, and the gram-positive were 40%. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common organism isolated overall (48%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (36%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were found to be most susceptible to piperacillin + tazobactam and imipenem (100%), followed by cefepime (91.67%) and ciprofloxacin (87.5%) while the Staphylococcus aureus isolates were found to be most susceptible to linezolid (100%) and doxycycline (94.44%), followed by clindamycin (88.89%).
Conclusion: Causes of bacterial diversity and their varied anti-microbial sensitivities and increasing antimicrobial resistance due to inadvertent use of antibiotics over time has caused change in susceptibility of bacteria. It therefore becomes essential to periodically assess the microbiological flora so as to provide quality and cost-effective treatment to the patient population presenting with AOE.
Keywords: Acute otitis externa; Aerobes; Antimicrobial susceptibility; Microbiological flora; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Staphylococcus aureus.
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