Filmy
Substance Blamed for Chronic Ear Infections
If your young child has an ear infection that will not go
away, it may be caused by a slime-like substance in the middle ear that experts
call bacterial "biofilm," says a report in the Journal
of the American Medical Association.
This biofilm makes it harder for antibiotics to do their
jobs, leading to long-lasting ailments.
Bacteria appear to be hiding in this usually protective
slimy film in kids with chronic middle ear infections, the study found.
The discovery is not going to lead to any new treatments
right away, but it may eventually help physicians get a better handle on one
of the plagues of childhood.
Ear infections, in fact, are the most common illnesses that
bring children to pediatricians.
"It's a particularly big disadvantage to working moms," says
study co-author Dr. J. Christopher Post, at Allegheny General Hospital. "It
really compromises a woman's ability to participate in the workforce."
Ear infections are so common in children - affecting eight
or nine of every 10 children - because the developing middle ear sometimes
cannot fully drain fluid, says Dr. Craig Derkay, at Eastern Virginia Medical
School.
Also, the immune system in a child is not fully developed
and cannot tackle infections, he explains.
Over-prescribing of antibiotics, meanwhile, has made matters
worse by helping ear-infection germs develop immunity to existing drugs, says
Dr. Derkay.
Dr. Post studied mucosal tissue from the middle ears of
50 children with chronic ear infections. Some of the children got ear infections
repeatedly, while others continually suffered from fluid in their ears.
All the children were scheduled to undergo operations to
insert drainage tubes in their ears.
The researchers found evidence of mucosal biofilms in 46
of the 50 children. They did not find any biofilms in another group of eight
healthy children and adults whose ears were studied as they underwent cochlear
implant operations for hearing loss.
Biofilms are very common in nature, says Dr. Post. For example,
the slime you might find on rocks next to a pond is a type of biofilm.
"It's like a little city of bacteria," he says, in which
germs communicate with each other and are well-protected against the outside
world.
The new research suggests that treating chronic ear infections
with antibiotics is "not helpful," says Dr. Post. "Biofilms by their nature
are very resistant to antibiotics."
Instead, researchers must find another approach that either
gets rid of biofilms or stunts their growth, perhaps by flooding the ear with "good
bacteria," says Dr. Post. That approach is known as probiotics.
For now, the research is "just sort of an explanation as
to why not all children are responding to these antibiotics" and need to have
drainage tubes put in, says Dr. Derkay.
Always consult your physician for more information.
|
Other
Resources:
Find
a St. John's Mercy Physician
Children's
Services at St. John's Mercy
Children's
Health Information
St.
John's Mercy Classes and Programs
An ear infection, also called otitis media, is inflammation
located in the middle ear. Otitis media can occur as a result of a cold,
sore throat, or respiratory infection.
About 75 percent of children have at least one episode
of otitis media by the time they are three years of age.
Nearly half of these children have three or more episodes
by the time they are three years of age.
Otitis media can also affect adults, although it is primarily
a condition that occurs in children.
Otitis media is the most common diagnosis for children
in the US.
Otitis media occurs more often in the winter and early
spring.
While any child may develop an ear infection, the following
are some of the factors that may increase your child's risk of developing
ear infections:
- being around someone who smokes
- family history of ear infections
- a poor immune system
- spending time in a daycare setting
- absence of breastfeeding
- having a cold
- bottle fed while laying on his/her back
Middle ear infections are usually a result of a malfunction
of the eustachian tube, a canal that links the middle ear with the throat
area.
The eustachian tube helps to equalize the pressure between
the outer ear and the middle ear.
When this tube is not working properly, it prevents normal
drainage of fluid from the middle ear, causing a buildup of fluid behind
the eardrum.
When this fluid cannot drain, it allows for the growth
of bacteria and viruses in the ear that can lead to acute otitis media.
The following are some of the reasons that the eustachian
tube may not work properly:
- a cold or allergy which can lead to swelling and congestion of the lining
of the nose, throat, and eustachian tube (this swelling prevents the normal
flow of fluids)
- a malformation of the eustachian tube
Always consult your child's physician for more information. |
