ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Effect of viral respiratory tract infection on o u t c o m e of a c u t e otitis media T a s n e e C h o n m a i t r e e , MD, M a r y J. O w e n , MD, J a n a k A. Patel, MD, D a w n H e d g p e t h , BA, David Horlick, BS, a n d Virgil M. Howie, MD From the Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston We prospectively studied 271 infants and children (2 months to 7 years of a g e ) with a c u t e otitis media (AOM) for viral and bacterial causes, o u t c o m e at the end of therapy, and frequency of recurrence within 4 month. Comprehensive virologic methods, including viral antigen detection, cell culture, and serologic studies, were used to d i a g n o s e viral infection of the respiratory tract, middle ear, or both. Evidence of viral infection was found in 46% (124/271) of patients with AOM. Sixty-six patients (24%) had virus or viral antigen in the middle ear fluid; 50 of these patients (76%) also had bacteria in middle ear fluid, and 16 (24%) had virus alone. More patients with AOM and c o m b i n e d bacterial and viral infection (51%) had persistent otitis (3 t ~ 42 days after institution of antibiotic treatment), c o m p a r e d with those with only bacterial otitis (35%; p = 0.05) or patients with only viral infection (19%; p
Effect of viral respiratory tract infection on o u t c o m e of a c u t e otitis media T a s n e e C h o n m a i t r e e , MD, M a r y J. O w e n , MD, J a n a k A. Patel, MD, D a w n H e d g p e t h , BA, David Horlick, BS, a n d Virgil M. Howie, MD From the Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston We prospectively studied 271 infants and children (2 months to 7 years of a g e ) with a c u t e otitis media (AOM) for viral and bacterial causes, o u t c o m e at the end of therapy, and frequency of recurrence within 4 month. Comprehensive virologic methods, including viral antigen detection, cell culture, and serologic studies, were used to d i a g n o s e viral infection of the respiratory tract, middle ear, or both. Evidence of viral infection was found in 46% (124/271) of patients with AOM. Sixty-six patients (24%) had virus or viral antigen in the middle ear fluid; 50 of these patients (76%) also had bacteria in middle ear fluid, and 16 (24%) had virus alone. More patients with AOM and c o m b i n e d bacterial and viral infection (51%) had persistent otitis (3 t ~ 42 days after institution of antibiotic treatment), c o m p a r e d with those with only bacterial otitis (35%; p = 0.05) or patients with only viral infection (19%; p
