Bacterial Profile and In Vitro Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns in Adult Ear Discharge Cultures: A Retrospective ENT-Based Study
Öz
Ear discharge cultures are frequently obtained in routine ENT practice, particularly for suspected external ear canal infection or treatment-refractory otorrhea. This retrospective descriptive study aimed to describe bacterial isolate distribution and in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in adult ear discharge cultures, with particular attention to fluoroquinolone susceptibility. Adults aged ≥18 years who underwent ear swab culture sampling for ear discharge, suspected external ear canal infection, or suspected otorrhea between January 2020 and December 2025 were included. Because detailed otoscopic findings, tympanic membrane status, and final clinical diagnoses were not uniformly available, the cohort was not restricted to strictly confirmed otitis externa. Repeated cultures and records with incomplete microbiological data were excluded. Bacterial identification and disk diffusion susceptibility testing were performed according to European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) criteria. A total of 313 adults yielded 354 bacterial isolates. The most frequent isolates were Staphylococcus aureus (31.6%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (24.6%), followed by coagulase-negative staphylococci and other Gram-negative bacteria (each 13.0%). Among tested S. aureus isolates, oxacillin resistance indicating a methicillin-resistant S. aureus phenotype was detected in 43.2% (35/81), while all tested isolates were susceptible to gentamicin, vancomycin, teicoplanin, and linezolid. Among P. aeruginosa isolates, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin resistance were 21.8% and 28.1%, respectively. These findings support culture-guided management in recurrent, refractory, or complicated cases, while ciprofloxacin resistance should be interpreted cautiously because systemic breakpoints may not directly predict topical treatment response..
Anahtar Kelimeler
- Otitis externa
- antimicrobial drug resistance
- microbial sensitivity tests
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Staphylococcus aureus
Destekleyen Kurum
Proje Numarası
Etik Beyan
Teşekkür
Kaynakça
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Ayrıntılar
Birincil Dil
İngilizce
Konular
Kulak Burun Boğaz
Bölüm
Araştırma Makalesi
Yayımlanma Tarihi
22 Eylül 2026
Gönderilme Tarihi
13 Mayıs 2026
Kabul Tarihi
10 Ağustos 2026
Yayımlandığı Sayı
Yıl 2026 Cilt: 48 Sayı: 6