The role of non-typable Haemophilus influenza in recurrent otitis media in children

• Published in: The Egyptian journal of otolaryngology Vol. 40; no. 1; pp. 18 - 7
• Main Authors: Ghallab, Abdelhakim Fouad, Sleit, Ahmed Mohsen, Elsayed, Rasha Abd Elhamid, Abdelrazek, Anas Mohsen, Abu Shady, Eslam Farid, Elnems, Mohamed Goda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2024; Springer; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Amoxicillin; Ampicillin; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Bacterial infections; Bottle feeding; Children & youth; Clinics; Developing countries; Diseases; Drug resistance; Ear diseases; Families & family life; Gene amplification; Guardians; Hemophilus infections; Imipenem; Infants; Influenza; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; NTHi; Original Article; Otitis media; Otolaryngology; PCR; Questionnaires; Recurrent AOM; Relapse; Risk factors; Streptococcus infections; Surgery; Vaccines against NTHi; Viral infections; Vitek; France; Vaccines against NTHi; Recurrent AOM; Vitek; NTHi; PCR
• ISSN: 2090-8539; 1012-5574; 2090-8539
• DOI: 10.1186/s43163-024-00577-6

Background When reaching their first birthday, kids in poor nations and about 62% of children in wealthier countries experience their initial occurrence of otitis media. The primary culprits for these bacterial ear infections in infants are the non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) strains, known for causing both acute and recurring episodes of otitis media. This study aimed to isolate and identify the non-typable Haemophilus influenzae isolates in children with recurrent otitis media and to evaluate the antibiotic sensitivity of the isolated Haemophilus influenzae strains. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 children (38 males and 22 females) who suffered from recurrent acute otitis media, ranging in age from 6 months to 5 years, and presented at the outpatient clinic between June 2022 and March 2023. Swabs were collected from ear discharge and examined using the Vitek system and PCR. Results Microbiological examination of ear swabs revealed that H. influenzae was the most commonly isolated species (38.3%), followed by S. pneumoniae (26.7%). The current study found that 82.6% of Haemophilus influenzae isolates were non-typeable, whereas only 17.4% were typeable based on PCR results. The results were considered highly significant (Hs) as the P value was < 0.001. High-level resistance of H. influenzae isolates was observed against ampicillin (78.3%), while high-level sensitivity was noted with Amoxicillin-clavulanate (73.9%). NTHi was significantly associated with the presence of complications compared to other organisms (78.3%). Conclusions This study concluded that NTHi plays a significant role in recurrent acute otitis media (rAOM). Therefore, we hope that significant advancements will be made in developing an efficient vaccine against NTHi in the near future.