Introduction: Otomycosis is a common condition encountered in ENT practice. Though it is not a serious condition it causes a lot of misery to the patient. Though there are many studies on various aspects about this disease, there are not many studies from this part of the country. Materials and Methods: 75 patients attending ENT OPD and diagnosed to have otomycosis were included in the study. Two aural swabs or whenever possible otomycotic debris scooped out using Jobson-Horne probe was obtained. From one swab, wet mount preparation in 10% KOH (potassium hydroxide) solution and smear for Grams stain were prepared. The second swab / otomycotic debris was directly inoculated into SDA (sabourad's dextrose agar) medium. Results: Mycological analysis of the swab from external auditory canal has shown that Aspergillus species was the most common fungus isolated followed by Candida species. All patients were treated with regular suction clearance and 1% clotrimazole ear drops. Conclusion: Simple measures like avoiding usage of ear buds/ unsterile material will help in prevention of otomycosis. 1% clotrimazole is effective in achieving complete mycological cure in otomycosis. Regular long term follow-up is required to effectively treat otomycosis.

Background: The ear, nose and throat infections are one of the common diseases for which patients often visit the primary care physicians. The oropharynx is a unique region of the human body colonised heavily by normal bacterial flora. Aims & Objective: The present study has been undertaken to find the incidence of bacterial colonization in the oropharynx of patients with ear, nose and throat infections. Materials and Methods: Forty patients in the age group of 5-75 years presenting to the ENT department with symptoms and signs suggestive of ear, nose, or throat infections were included in the study. Throat swabs in duplicate were taken using sterile swab stick and streaked onto a standard commercial sheep blood agar plate and MacConkey agar plate and were incubated at 37 °C. After 14 to 24 h of incubation, the plates were examined for the growth of bacterial colonies. The bacteria isolated were identified by standard biochemical tests. Results: The viridans streptococcus is seen colonised in almost all the patients. Streptococcus pyogenes has been isolated from only one patient with acute pharyngitis. 3 patients showed the presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Among this, two patients suffered from acute pharyngitis and one from acute otitis media. A patient with chronic suppurative otitis media with acute pharyngitis showed the presence of Proteus vulgaris. Conclusion: The results showed that the oropharynx remains same harbouring only the normal flora indicating that ENT infections in most of the cases are due to either viral or fungal. It can also be concluded that the presence of abundant normal flora in oropharynx should have inhibitory effect on the colonisation pathogenic bacteria.

INTRODUCTIONApproximately 20% to 30% of total population suffers from at least one type of allergic diseases in India. A study carried, over 30 years ago in Delhi reported around 10% allergic rhinitis and 1% asthma in 1964.1 There after later studies have reported that 20% to 30% of the population suffer from allergic rhinitis and of that 15% develop asthma.Approximately 20% of adults and children have seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis.2 Despite its prevalence, the condition is often treated inadequately and becomes chronic. A chronic state of nasal inflammation and obstruction develops, frequently leading to more serious complications in both the upper and the lower airways and the middle ear. 3The eustachian tube provides an anatomic communication between the nasopharynx and the middle ear and is in a unique position to cause changes in the middle ear secondary to reactions in the nose.Upper respiratory tract allergy may cause some intrinsic and extrinsic mechanical obstruction in patients who have ABSTRACT Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common condition affecting 20-30% of the population. This condition affects not only the nose but also the sinuses and ears in many ways. Many studies are there worldwide implicating AR as a cause of serous otitis media. But only few studies have actually studied the tympanic membrane (TM) changes observed in patients with allergic rhinitis. The aim of this study is to document the TM changes observed in patients with AR and to correlate them with the duration of symptoms and also influence of prior treatment of AR on the TM changes observed. Methods: A total of 111 patients and so 222 ears were studied. A detailed history of the duration of symptoms and any prior treatment for AR was recorded. The TM changes seen were classified and recorded. The duration of disease and treatment were taken as grouping variables and the tympanic membrane changes were ranked and used as testing variable. The results were statistically analyzed using non-parametric test, Kruskal -Wallis test. Results: There was no statistically significant correlation between duration of AR and the TM changes observed. However there was a significantly less number of patients with TM retraction observed in the patients who had taken prior treatment compared to those patients who had taken no prior treatment. Conclusions: It is concluded that institution of early treatment may prevent development of Eustachian tube dysfunction and TM changes in patients with AR.

Adverse drug reaction (ADR) is defined as “any response to drug which is noxious or unintended and occurs at a dose normally used in man for prophylaxis, diagnosis or treatment of diseases or for modification of physiological function”. Among the ADRs reported, cutaneous drug reactions are most common. Symmetrical drug-related intertriginous and flexural exanthema (SDRIFE), also known as baboon syndrome (BS), is included in the spectrum of systemically induced allergic contact dermatitis. Characteristics of SDRIFE include a sharply defined symmetric erythema in the gluteal area and in the flexural or intertriginous folds without any systemic symptoms or signs. We present a case of 30-year-old female with baboon syndrome after taking the combination of paracetamol and diclofenac. Awareness of SDRIFE (BS) as an unusual drug reaction is especially important since the connection between skin eruption and drug exposure may easily be overlooked or misdiagnosed.

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