Biofilms and chronic otitis media: an initial exploration into the role of biofilms in the pathogenesis of chronic otitis media.
Publication/Presentation Date
7-1-2010
Abstract
PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to compare the extent of biofilm infection in percentage of mucosal surface area of adenoids removed from children with otitis media with effusion (OME) vs those with recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Comparative microanatomical investigation of adenoid mucosa using scanning electron microscopy obtained from 30 children with OME, RAOM, and OSA was used in this study. Seventeen males and 13 females ranging in age from 9 months to 10 years were included in this study. Percentage of biofilm surface area involvement was the main measure.
RESULTS: Adenoids removed from patients with OME had moderately dense mature biofilms covering the mucosal surface with a mean of 27.7% of their mucosal surface covered with mature biofilms. These results were distinct from results obtained from patients diagnosed with RAOM and OSA with means of 97.6% and 0.10% of their mucosal surfaces covered with mature biofilms, respectively. These differences were statistically significant at P < .0001.
CONCLUSIONS: Adenoids removed from patients with OME were characterized by distinctly different percentage of biofilm mucosal surface area coverage, with significantly more biofilm presence than OSA patients but significantly less biofilm presence than RAOM patients. Although previous investigations have supported a dominant role of nasopharyngeal biofilms in RAOM pathogenesis, these results suggest nasopharyngeal biofilms may play a different role in the pathogenesis of OME and that this clinical entity may be more multifactorial in nature.
Volume
31
Issue
4
First Page
241
Last Page
245
ISSN
1532-818X
Published In/Presented At
Hoa, M., Syamal, M., Schaeffer, M. A., Sachdeva, L., Berk, R., & Coticchia, J. (2010). Biofilms and chronic otitis media: an initial exploration into the role of biofilms in the pathogenesis of chronic otitis media. American journal of otolaryngology, 31(4), 241–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjoto.2009.02.015
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Otolaryngology
PubMedID
20015753
Peer Reviewed for front end display
Peer-Reviewed
Department(s)
Department of Surgery, Department of Surgery Faculty, Division of Otolaryngology
Document Type
Article