Bacteriological Investigation of Children with Otitis Media in Al-Diwaniyah Governorate

(80) swabs were obtained from children with otitis media who visited the ENT consulting clinics at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Diwaniyah Governorate between 1-2-2025 and 1-4-2025. A specialist physician assisted in the collection of samples from patients of both sexes ranging in age from (1-6) years. Microscopy and biochemical testing were used to identify the isolated bacteria based on their cultural and physical traits. 80 bacterial isolates were recovered and diagnosed from children with otitis media, which are distributed as follows: 35 bacterial isolates from Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a growth rate of 43.75%, while 35 isolates from the Staphylococcus species were distributed as follows: There were 20 Staphylococcus aureus isolates with a growth rate of 25% and 15 Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates with a growth rate of 18.75%. 8 isolates from the Streptococcus pneumoniae genus were also collected with a growth rate of 10%, and two isolates from Klebsiella pneumoniae with a growth rate of 2.5% by biochemical tests. Antibiotic sensitivity testing was performed on every identified bacterial species, and the isolates' susceptibility to the antibiotics utilized varied significantly. P. aeruginosa showed 99% resistance to amoxicillin, it also demonstrated significant resistance to antibiotics (amikacin, ampicillin, and tetracycline), with rates of 75, 72, and 78%, respectively, and the lowest resistance rates to the drug cefotaxime, at 15%. St. aureus were resistant to antibiotics (amoxicillin, rifampicin, amikacin, ampicillin, and trimethoprim) at rates of 56, 50, 44, 39, and 36%, respectively, while cefotaxime sensitivity was documented at 98%. St. pneumoniae bacteria exhibited the highest resistance to amoxicillin, reaching 97%, while remaining sensitive to ampicillin at 88%. It also resisted the antibiotics (rifampicin, trimethoprim, cefotaxime, and ceftazidime) with rates of 40, 55, 59, and 64, respectively.