Comparative Study of Otitis Media and Its Antibiotics Susceptibility Pattern in a Cohort of HIV Positive and Negative Patients

Aims: This study examined the comparative study of otitis media and its antibiotics susceptibility pattern in a cohort of HIV positive and negative patients.

Study Design: A survey and laboratory analytical method was employed in the study. While a survey research design was used to sample a total of 110 patients out of a total population of 561,066 living in the study area. Laboratory analyses of the samples collected from the patients were used to analyze the data collected.

Methodology: A total of 110 ear swabs were collected, 60 from HIV positive subjects and 50 from HIV negatives subjects with otitis media.

Results: From the analysis of the data collected, results showed that 52 (86.7) samples from HIV positive patients and 44 (88%) samples from HIV negative patients yielded bacteria growth. The most predominant isolates from middle ear of HIV positive was Staphylococcus aureus, with total occurrence of 22(42.4%), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumonia, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli with occurrence of 12(23%), 7(13.5%), 6(11.5%), 5(9.6%) respectively. The most predominant from HIV negative was Staphylococcus aureus, followed by Streptococcus pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes with occurrence of 16(36.4%), 10(22.7%), 8(18.2%), 6(13.6%), and 4(9.1%) respectively. The result of their antibiotics susceptibility test showed that all the bacteria isolates from both subjects were fully sensitive to fluoroquinolones, while a high level of resistance was seen with the use co-trimoxazole in HIV-positive subjects.

Conclusion: Bacteria isolates from HIV positive patients were highly resistant to co-trimoxazole as compared to isolates from HIV negative patients that were sensitive to co-trimoxazole. It was also noted in the result that the sensitivity pattern of otitis media to antibiotics differs from HIV positive and HIV negative patients, thus requiring different management approaches.