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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 2006, p. 946-949, Vol. 44, No. 3
0095-1137/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.44.3.946-949.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

High Incidence of Alloiococcus otitidis in Children with Otitis Media, Despite Treatment with Antibiotics

Atsushi Harimaya,1* Ryuta Takada,1 Panu H. Hendolin,2 Nobuhiro Fujii,3 Jukka Ylikoski,4 and Tetsuo Himi1

Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan,1 Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland,2 Department of Microbiology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan,3 Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland4

Received 13 October 2005/ Returned for modification 12 December 2005/ Accepted 22 December 2005

Acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME) are common diseases in childhood. Alloiococcus otitidis is a newly recognized species of gram-positive bacterium which was recently discovered as a pathogen associated with OME. Although some studies show that A. otitidis is frequently detected in children with OME, no study is available concerning the clinical efficiency of antibiotics against this organism. The prevalence of A. otitidis in 116 middle ear effusion specimens from 36 AOM and 52 OME patients was examined by culture and PCR. In addition, the prevalence of the bacterium was retrospectively investigated in relation to antibiotic use. A. otitidis was detected in 20 (50%) AOM and 47 (61%) OME specimens. The organism was the most frequent bacterium in AOM as well as in OME and was highly detected even in patients who had been treated with antibiotics, such as beta-lactams or erythromycin. The incidence of A. otitidis in our study was higher than that in Western countries, and our results suggest that drug-resistant strains of A. otitidis may be frequently spread in Japanese children. Our study suggests that antibiotics such as beta-lactams or erythromycin may not be sufficiently effective to eliminate this organism. Further investigation is expected to reveal the clinical role of the organism in otitis media.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Otolaryngology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, S-1, W-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan. Phone: 81-11-611-2111, ext. 3491. Fax: 81-11-615-5405. E-mail: harimaya{at}sapmed.ac.jp.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 2006, p. 946-949, Vol. 44, No. 3
0095-1137/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.44.3.946-949.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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