Upper respiratory tract and aural flora of saturation divers

The conditions of helium saturation diving promote the proliferation of Gram-negative bacterial species in the external auditory meatus of divers. These changes in flora occurred in the absence of operational diving, that is, no contact with water. The colonising bacteria were autogenous in origin and cross-colonisation was observed between divers. On return to normal atmospheric conditions the aural flora became predominantly Gram-positive again within 48 hours.