Clinico-Mycological Profile of Otomycosis in Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM) is commonly encountered chronic inflammation of middle ear as well as the mastoid cavity due to dysfunction of Eustachian tube followed by microbial infection. Fungal infection in CSOM is now a major otolarynological problem in India not only in children but in adults too. Excessive use of steroids, antibiotics, cytotoxic chemotherapies and immunosuppressive diseases has increased the incidence of otomycosis in recent years. To define the aetiology of clinically diagnosed otomycosis. To isolate and identify fungal agents and their association with different factors(age, sex, predisposing factors). A total of 100 clinically diagnosed patients of CSOM with suspicion of otomycosis were included in the study. Patients where passing swab is difficult as with canal stenosis were excluded. Samples were taken using sterile swabs and studied for microbial profile. Male to female ratio in study was 1.6:1. The most common fungi isolated in CSOM cases was Aspergillus fumigatus followed by Aspergillus niger. Other fungus isolated were Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium species, Mucor species and Candida species. 04 samples showed mixed growth of Aspergillus species and Candida species. In our study we concluded that Aspergillus complex was most commonly isolated fungi in CSOM cases.