Table 2. Microbiological results of middle ear fluid (MEF).
| Total n = 470 |
<3 years n = 331 (70.4%) | ≥3 years n = 139 (29.6%) |
p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absence of otopathogen | 251 (53.4) | 156 (47.1) | 95 (68.3) | <0.001 |
| At least ≥1 otopathogen | 219 (46.6) | 175 (52.9) | 44 (31.7) | |
| Total NTHi | 106 (48.4) | 93 (53.1) | 13 (29.5) | 0.005 |
| Total GAS | 76 (34.7) | 53 (30.3) | 23 (52.3) | 0.006 |
| Total Sp | 61 (27.9) | 50 (28.6) | 11 (25) | 0.6 |
| NTHi alone | 77 (35.2) | 69 (39.4) | 8 (18.2) | 0.008 |
| GAS alone | 63 (28.8) | 41 (23.4) | 22 (50) | 0.001 |
| Sp alone | 37 (16.9) | 30 (17.1) | 7 (15.9) | 0.8 |
| Mc alone | 5 (2.3) | 4 (2.3) | 1 (2.3) | 1 |
| Mixtures of otopathogens | 37 (16.9) | 31 (17.7) | 6 (13.6) | 0.4 |
| NTHi+Sp | 18 (8.2) | 16 (9.1) | 2 (4.6) | 0.5 |
| NTHi+ GAS | 6 (2.7) | 5 (2.9) | 1 (2.3) | 1 |
| NTHi+Sp+Mc | 3 (1.4) | 2 (1.1) | 1 (2.3) | 0.5 |
| NTHi+Mc | 2 (0.9) | 1 (0.6) | 1 (2.3) | 0.4 |
| Mc+GAS | 5 (2.3) | 5 (2.3) | 0 | |
| Sp+GAS | 2 (0.9) | 2 (1.1) | 0 | |
| Sp+Mc | 1 (0.5) | 0 | 1 (2.3) |
Data are n (%). NTHi, non-typable Haemophilus influenzae; GAS, group A streptococcus; Sp, Streptococcus pneumoniae; Mc, Moraxella catharalis