Abstract
The author discussed the special characteristics of microbial infections in the otolaryngeal field, taking the chronic otitis media as an example. In chronic otitis media, local use of antimicrobial agents may be the chief method of therapy, but the result is not always satisfactory, since the microorganisms primarily responsible for the infection may be replaced by those insensitive to the used drug. It is therefore necessary to use, in adequate combinations, drugs with strongly bactericidal action and extremely wide spectrum. Furthermore, it is important to pay attention to the antigenicity of the used drug, since, when applied to mucous membrane or skin, it may induce drug allergy. For the exact evaluation of availabilities of antimicrobial agents, we must, on one hand, establish adequate criteria for the diagnosis of symptoms of each infection in otolaryngeal field, and on the other hand, we should like to emphasize the necessity of precise and objective comparative trials including the double blind test.
