Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan;10(4):377-383.
doi: 10.4314/ovj.v10i4.4. Epub 2020 Oct 30.

Otodectic and bacterial etiology of feline otitis externa in Tripoli, Libya

Murad A Hiblu  1 , Omar M Ellraiss  2 , Elfurgani S Karim  3 , Rabia A Elmishri  3 , Enass M Duro  4 , Abdulnasser A Altaeb  1 , Emad M Bennour  1
Affiliations

Otodectic and bacterial etiology of feline otitis externa in Tripoli, Libya

Murad A Hiblu et al. Open Vet J. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Feline otitis externa is a dermatological disorder with a multifactorial complex etiology.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of different etiological agents, particularly the parasitic and bacterial, responsible for the cases of feline otitis externa in Tripoli, Libya, and to assess the antimicrobial susceptibility of the bacterial isolates from those cases.

Methods: Cerumen and otic discharges of the suspected cats were collected for parasite detection and bacterial culture. Kirby-Bauer's disk diffusion method was used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

Results: The results showed that otodectic mites and bacterial causes were equally the most prevalent in those cases, with a prevalence of 47.1% each. Otodectes cynotis infestation was more frequently bilateral and severe. Staphylococcus spp. were the most prevalent among bacterial causes (75%), followed by Proteus spp. (16.6%) and Pseudomonas spp. (8.4%). Norfloxacin and gentamicin were the most effective antimicrobials against bacterial isolates, as they were effective against 83.3% and 70.8% of isolates, respectively.

Conclusion: Otodectes cynotis infestation and staphylococcal infections constituted the most common etiology of feline otitis externa in Tripoli, Libya, and norfloxacin represented a cogent antibacterial for the treatment of otitis externa.

Keywords: Antimicrobial susceptibility; Bacteria; Cats; Ear mite; Otitis externa.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Arisov M.V, Indyuhova E.N, Arisova G.B. The use of multicomponent ear drops in the treatment of otitis of various etiologies in animals. J. Adv. Vet. Anim. Res. 2020;7:115–126. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bollez A, de Rooster H, Furcas A, Vandenabeele S. Prevalence of external ear disorders in Belgian stray cats. J. Feline Med. Surg. 2018;20:149–154. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Carter G.R, Chengappa M.M. Iowa City, IA: Iowa State University Press; 1993. Microbial diseases. A veterinarian’s guide to laboratory diagnosis.
    1. Crespo M.J, Abarca M.L, Cabanes F.J. Otitis Externa Associated with Malassezia sympodialis in two cats. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2000;38:1263–1266. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dion W.M, Speckmann G. Canine otitis externa caused by the fungus Sporothrix schenkii. Can. Vet. J. 1978;19:44–45. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources