Quantitative PCR of ear discharge from Indigenous Australian children with acute otitis media with perforation supports a role for Alloiococcus otitidis as a secondary pathogen

Otitis media is endemic in remote Indigenous communities of Australia’s Northern Territory. Alloiococcus otitidis is an outer ear commensal and putative middle ear pathogen that has not previously been described in acute otitis media (AOM) in this population. The aims of this study were to determine the presence, antibiotic susceptibility and bacterial load of A. otitidis in nasopharyngeal and ear discharge swabs collected from Indigenous Australian children with AOM with perforation.Financial support for this study was provided by the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation; The Trust Foundation; and the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia)

Reduction in bacterial load using hypochlorous acid hygiene solution on ocular skin

David W Stroman,1 Keri Mintun,1 Arthur B Epstein,2 Crystal M Brimer,3 Chirag R Patel,4 James D Branch,5 Kathryn Najafi-Tagol1 1NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Emeryville, CA, 2Ophthalmic Research Consultants of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, 3Crystal Vision Services, Wilmington, NC, 4Turner Eye Institute, San Leandro, CA, 5James D. Branch Ophthalmology, Winston Salem, NC, USA Purpose: To examine the magnitude of bacterial load reduction on the surface of the periocular skin 20 minutes after application of a saline hygiene solution containing 0.01% pure hypochlorous acid (HOCl).Methods: Microbiological specimens were collected immediately prior to applying the hygiene solution and again 20 minutes later. Total microbial colonies were counted and each unique colony morphology was processed to identify the bacterial species and to determine the susceptibility profile to 15 selected antibiotics.Results: Specimens were analyzed from the skin samples of 71 eyes from 36 patients. Prior to treatment, 194 unique bacterial isolates belonging to 33 different species were recovered. Twenty minutes after treatment, 138 unique bacterial isolates belonging to 26 different species were identified. Staphylococci accounted for 61% of all strains recovered and Staphylococcus epidermidis strains comprised 60% of the staphylococcal strains. No substantial differences in the distribution of Gram-positive, Gram-negative, or anaerobic species were noted before and after treatment. The quantitative data demonstrated a >99% reduction in the staphylococcal load on the surface of the skin 20 minutes following application of the hygiene solution. The total S. epidermidis colony-forming units were reduced by 99.5%. The HOCl hygiene solution removed staphylococcal isolates that were resistant to multiple antibiotics equally well as those isolates that were susceptible to antibiotics.Conclusion: The application of a saline hygiene solution preserved with pure HOCl acid reduced the bacterial load significantly without altering the diversity of bacterial species remaining on the skin under the lower eyelid. Keywords: blepharitis, microbiome, Propionibacterium acnes, Corynebacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidi

Turicella otitidis and Corynebacterium auris: 20 years on

Turicella otitidis and Corynebacterium auris, described as new species 20 years ago, have been isolated mainly from the external ear canal and middle ear fluid. While their taxonomic position has been clearly established, their diagnosis in the routine laboratory is difficult. The question of their pathogenic potential in otitis is still open but might be elucidated better if corynebacteria are speciated more often