[Bacteriology of acute otitis, in current practice, in 1987. Therapeutic implications]

After presenting the methodology of their study and the structure of their chain of swabs, the authors report the bacteriological results and therapeutic consequences which they imply. In this study, which was conducted in children between the ages of 3 months and 3 years, Haemophilus influenzae was the bacterium most frequently isolated, regardless of the age-group. It was followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. Neither the recurrent nature of the otitis nor the child's life style influenced the predominance of Haemophilus influenzae. 23% of the strains were beta-lactamase producers. The production of beta-lactamase prevented the use of amoxicillin. The increasingly frequent resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae and the poor sensitivity of Haemophilus influenzae discourage the use of macrolids; the combination of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid obtained a better score with an efficacy of 89%.