Otitis Media: A Review, with a Focus on Alternative Treatments

Abstract

Otitis media (OM) is the accumulation of fluids in the middle ear, with or without symptoms of inflammation. The infection is caused by dysfunction or obstruction of the eustachian tube and is most commonly diagnosed in children under the age of two. The microbiology of OM differs, with Streptococcus pneumoniae, non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis the most commonly isolated pathogens. The emergence of penicillin-resistant Strep. pneumoniae, β-lactamase-producing strains, Haem. influenzae and Mor. catarrhalis is a major concern and health care costs associated with treatment are substantial, especially in cases of unresponsive treatment as a result of incorrect diagnosis. Alternative treatments such as vaccines and a nasal spray containing α-haemolytic streptococci with antimicrobial activity against OM pathogens, have been developed. The rationale behind such treatments is to induce an appropriate immune response against the pathogens and decrease bacterial colonisation in the nasopharynx. Another approach may be treatment with bacteriocins (natural antimicrobial peptides) or bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLIS) produced by lactic acid bacteria. We have recently described an antibacterial peptide produced by Enterococcus mundtii ST4SA and have published on bacteriocins (enterocins) with antibacterial and antiviral activity. This review discusses the condition OM, summarises current methods used to treat the infection, and suggests alternative safe and natural treatments that need to be explored.

Salivaricin D, a Novel Intrinsically Trypsin-Resistant Lantibiotic from Streptococcus salivarius 5M6c Isolated from a Healthy Infant

“…Bacteriocin production is considered a probiotic feature, and it has convincingly been shown that bacteriocin-producing probiotic lactic acid bacteria can inhibit growth of Listeria monocytogenes in mice (10). Thus, identification and characterization of bacteriocin-producing LAB of human origin are needed not only to develop probiotic bacteria with diverse antimicrobial potentials but also to develop bacteriocins into chemotherapeutic agents to control infections (12,47). To this end, we aimed at isolation of bacteriocin-producing LAB from healthy human infants.…”

Untitled

“…This study describes the condition OM, outlines existing treatment options, and offers another safe and herbal remedies that should be investigated. [1] • Murphy et al (2005) have investigated the vaccines for otitis media: ideas for overcoming roadblocks.…”

“…O tic refers to hearing problems. [1] The human ear is one of the most remarkable aspects of the human body, not only for the beauty and uniqueness of its form but also for its extraordinary sensitivity to sound sensation. [2,3] The ear is traditionally split mainly into three sections, namely, the exterior, middle, and inner ear.…”

Optical Identification of Middle Ear Infection

“…The healthcare cost due to ear infections in the U.S. is estimated to be $3-5 billion annually [6][7][8]. There are three types of OM, acute otitis media (AOM), otitis media with effusion (OME), and chronic otitis media with effusion [9][10][11][12][13]. AOM occurs in the middle ear due to bacterial infection resulting in the buildup of fluid.…”