Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in middle ear fluid of children

Abstract

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and colonization in children have increased in recent years.

Objective: This study examined the possible effect of this increase on MRSA isolation from middle ear fluid (MEF) of children.

Method: A retrospective descriptive study was performed using the electronic medical records of children cared for at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children from 2003 to 2007. All MEF isolates obtained at tympanostomy tube placement for recurrent or chronic otitis media or from spontaneous drainage were tabulated and analyzed. Records of children whose MEF grew S aureus comprised our database.

Results: A total of 920 MEF isolates were reviewed, of which 121 patients with S aureus in the MEF were identified. Twenty were excluded per protocol. In the cohort of 101 patients, 76 had methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA; 75.3%) and 25 had MRSA (24.7%).

Conclusion: In this retrospective study, the authors demonstrated that among children with S aureus in the MEF, younger children (<3 years) were more likely to have MRSA.