Bacterial Flora and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Pathogens Isolated from the Entrance of the Horizontal Ear Canal Prior to Surgery and Tympanic Cavity During Total Ear Canal Ablation and Lateral Bulla Osteotomy

Abstract

The total ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy (TECABO) technique was performed on dogs withotitis media. All examined dogs had a severely stenosed or occluded ear canal. Swab specimens were obtainedin the vertical ear canal prior to operation, and in the tympanic cavity during surgery. Isolates from the verticalear canal and tympanic cavity were then compared for each ear. In all cases, the kinds of bacteria isolatedfrom these two parts were the same or the kinds of isolates from the tympanic cavity included those from thevertical ear canal. The susceptibility patterns of these isolates from both parts tended to be almost identical.The paper suggests that when TECABO is performed, data on the susceptibility patterns of isolates from thevertical ear canal can be used until the susceptibility patterns of bacteria obtained from the tympanic cavity areidentified.