Isolation of Bacterial Agents Associated with Otitis Media among Schoolchildren in Dhamar City- Yemen

الملخص

Background: Otitis Media (OM) is the inflammation of the middle ear which is most common among children and can lead to hearing loss affecting 1.23 billion people in developing countries. The current study aims to isolate and identify the bacterial agent's causative otitis media among schoolchildren at Dhamar City, Yemen.

Methods: Cross section study was conducted at Dhamar City in the period from February to May 2020. A total of 100 ear swab samples were collected from children patients backing Al-Hasan, Al-Tholaia, Omar, Hamzah, Al-Shimaa and Al-Thawrah schools, inoculated into blood, chocolate, MacConkey agar, and biochemical tests.

The results: The results being drawn from the study show that the most common isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus, flowed by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Alloiococcus spp. and Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Micrococcus spp. and Klebsiella spp. as the recorded rates 37%, 16%, 13%, 13%, 11%, 7% and 3% respectively.

Conclusion: Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae, were the predominant pathogens of discharging ear. Highest isolation rate of otitis media bacteria, were  in age between nine to twelve and highest in female. Early detection and treatment of upper respiratory tract infection before it develops into OM and lead to hearing loss among children is a must. Further study with advanced test to detect bacteria causes OM is recommended.

Keywords:  Otitis media; bacterial pathogens; Children; Yemen.