Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Its Sensitivity Spectrum in Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media: A Study from Garhwal Hills of Uttarakhand State, India.

Introduction: Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is a chronic inflammation of the middle ear and mastoid cavity, with recurrent ear discharge through a perforated tympanic membrane. It is a major health problem in developing countries causing serious local damage and life-threatening complications. The advent of sophisticated systemic antibiotics and their irrational use has led to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains and disease complication in return. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the most common organisms to cause CSOM, is a notorious pathogen and is known for its MDR attribute. Objective: The aim of this study was to know the prevalence of P. aeruginosa among the patients suffering from CSOM, to analyze their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern, and to find out MDR P. aeruginosa strains. Materials and Methods: A total of 571 patients clinically diagnosed of CSOM were enrolled in the study (559 patients with unilateral and 12 with bilateral discharge), and 583 samples were obtained from them. Sample processing and identification was done by standard bacteriological methods. One hundred eighty-seven strains were identified as P. aeruginosa and were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing for 10 different antibiotics categorized into five classes. Results: Of total 583 samples collected, growth was seen in 576 (98.8%) samples. P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from 187 (32.1%) samples. Piperacillin-tazobactam (75.4%), amikacin (74.3%), imipenem (70.6%), and cefepime (69.0%) were found to be the most effective antibiotics. Twenty-nine (15.5%) strains were resistant to all the five classes of antibiotics tested. The rate of resistance to fluoroquinolones (48.7%) was highest, followed by antipseudomonal penicillin (41.7%), and was lowest for carbapenems (29.4%). Conclusion: Knowing the etiological agents of CSOM and their antibiogram is of paramount importance for an efficient treatment and prevention of both disease complications and antimicrobial resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]