Inner ear disturbances following inoculation of endotoxin into the middle ear

Inner ear function was assessed by a frequency-specific (+/-100 Hz) auditory brainstem response (ABR) technique after a single instillation of a suspension of purified E. coli lipopolysaccharide in sterile water into the round window (RW) niche in rats. Instillation of endotoxin caused a transient concentration and tonotopically dependent dysfunction of the inner ear. The largest threshold impairment occurred in the high-frequency region anatomically located close to the RW. At 31.5 kHz the threshold impairment persisted throughout the study. Morphologic damage to the inner ear was not detected at the light microscopic level when using serial sections from decalcified specimens. Our study supports the clinical hypothesis that remnants of non-viable bacteria such as endotoxins, when trapped in the middle ear, can promote middle ear effusion and dysfunction of the inner ear.