Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Bacterial Isolates from Children with Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media in Northern Uganda

Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is a common childhood infection and can lead to hearing impairment. We characterized bacterial isolates from children with CSOM and determined their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among children attending outpatient department of a large teaching hospital in northern Uganda. A cross-sectional study was conducted among children attending outpatients and Nutrition wards at St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor, Gulu. Using culture techniques, ear pus swabs were cultured on blood agar, MacConkey and chocolate agar. Organisms were identified by standard microbiological tests. The antimicrobial susceptibility test was done using Kirby-Buer disk diffusion method. Out of 108 children enrolled with CSOM, we identified 11 bacterial species, predominantly Proteus mirabillis (42.6%, n = 46), Staphylococcus aureus (19.4%, n = 21), Acinetobacter spp. (9.3%, n = 10), Klebsiella pneumoniae (7.4%, n = 8), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.6%, n = 6), Escherichia coli (4.6%, n = 5), Enterococcus faecalis (2.8%, n = 3), Haemophilus influenzae (1.9%, n = 2), Enterobacter spp. (1.9%, n = 2), Proteus vulgaris (0.9%, n = 1), Streptococcus pneumoniae (0.9%, n = 1) and unidentified coliform bacteria (0.9%, n = 1). Resistance was mostly frequent with Tetracycline (77.8%, 84/108), Chloramphenicol (73.1%, 79/108), Cotrimoxazole (64.5%, 69/108), and Ampicillin (64.5%, 69/108), Most isolates were sensitive to Ciprofloxacin (88.9%, 96/108), Gentamicin (85.2%, 92/108), and Methicillin (100%, 21/21). CSOM remains a public health problem with high prevalence among children ≤ 60 months of age dwelling in poor communities in Northern Uganda, continuous surveillance of the causative agents and their antibiogram is necessary.