The bacterial etiology of otitis media and their antibiogram among children in Gaza Strip, Palestine

Abstract

Background Otitis media is the most common reason for children to visit a medical practitioner and it is an important cause of preventable hearing loss. It is a common reason for antibiotic prescription in young children. There are no reports or published data on the susceptibility profiles of bacteria isolated from ear infections in the Gaza Strip. Objective To determine the bacterial etiology of otitis media and their antimicrobial susceptibility profiles among children in Gaza Strip. Patients and methods A cross-sectional prospective study was performed in ENT clinics in Gaza Strip from October 2012 to June 2013. A total of 120 ear samples collected from children up to 15 years were cultured according to the standard microbiological procedures. Isolates were identified by conventional methods and the antibiotic susceptibility profiles were determined by the standard disk diffusion method. Results Bacterial isolates included …