Presence of interferon during bacterial otitis media

To examine the possibility that interferon (IFN) production plays a role in otitis media, specimens of middle ear fluid (MEF) were cultured for bacteria and viruses and assayed for IFN. Twenty (33%) of 81 MEF specimens from children attending a pediatric clinic contained 50-600 units of IFN/ml. Characterization of high-titered samples by cell species specificity, stability at pH 2, nonspecificity for virus, and cell-bound antiviral activity showed the major properties of IFN. With or without the addition of antibody to IFN to 88 specimens of MEF before viral culture, viruses were recovered from only four specimens (5%) whereas bacteria were isolated from 62 specimens (70%). IFN was present in most MEF specimens from which bacteria were isolated. Among the MEF specimens that contained bacteria and IFN, there was no association with a particular bacterial species.