Bacterial causes of otitis media with spontaneous perforation of the tympanic membrane in the era of 13 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

PLoS One. 2019 Feb 1;14(2):e0211712. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211712. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

After pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) implementation, the number of acute otitis media (AOM) episodes has decreased, but AOM still remains among the most common diagnoses in childhood. From 2% to 17% of cases of AOM feature spontaneous perforation of the tympanic membrane (SPTM). The aim of this study was to describe the bacteriological causes of SPTM 5 to 8 years years after PCV13 implementation, in 2010. From 2015 to 2018, children with SPTM were prospectively enrolled by 41 pediatricians. Middle ear fluid was obtained by sampling spontaneous discharge. Among the 470 children with SPTM (median age 20.8 months), no otopathogen was isolated for 251 (53.4% [95% CI 48.8%;58.0%]): 47.1% of infants and toddlers, 68.3% older children (p<0.001). Among children with isolated bacterial otopathogens (n = 219), non-typable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) was the most frequent otopathogen isolated (n = 106, 48.4% [95% CI 41.6%;55.2%]), followed by Streptoccocus pyogenes (group A streptococcus [GAS]) (n = 76, 34.7% [95% CI 28.4%;41.4%]) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) (n = 61, 27.9% [95% Ci 22.0%;34.3%]). NTHi was frequently isolated in infants and toddlers (53.1%), whereas the main otopathogen in older children was GAS (52.3%). In cases of co-infection with at least two otopathogens (16.9%, n = 37/219), NTHi was frequently involved (78.4%, n = 29/37). When Sp was isolated, PCV13 serotypes accounted for 32.1% of cases, with serotype 3 the main serotype (16.1%). Among Sp strains, 29.5% were penicillin-intermediate and among NTHi strains, 16.0% were β-lactamase-producers. More than 5 years after PCV13 implementation, the leading bacterial species recovered from AOM with SPTM was NTHi for infants and toddlers and GAS for older children. In both age groups, Sp was the third most frequent pathogen and vaccine serotypes still played an important role. No resistant Sp strains were isolated, and the frequency of β-lactamase-producing NTHi did not exceed 16%.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bacteria / immunology
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Haemophilus influenzae / isolation & purification
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Otitis Media / etiology*
  • Otitis Media / microbiology*
  • Otitis Media with Effusion / etiology
  • Otitis Media with Effusion / microbiology
  • Pneumococcal Infections / complications
  • Pneumococcal Infections / prevention & control
  • Pneumococcal Vaccines / immunology
  • Serogroup
  • Spontaneous Perforation / etiology
  • Spontaneous Perforation / microbiology
  • Streptococcus pneumoniae / isolation & purification
  • Streptococcus pyogenes / isolation & purification
  • Tympanic Membrane / microbiology
  • Tympanic Membrane Perforation / etiology*
  • Tympanic Membrane Perforation / microbiology
  • Vaccines, Conjugate / immunology

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Pneumococcal Vaccines
  • Vaccines, Conjugate

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work. This study was supported by our institution, Association Clinique et Thérapeutique Infantile du Val de Marne (Clinical and Therapeutic Association of Val de Marne).