Table 5.
Results of the microbiological analysis of the samples from the external auditory canal taken at day 0 before the probiotic intervention and at the end of the 6-month treatment period.
| Time 0 | After 6 Months | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of positive samples (bacterial growth) | 61 | 17 | < 0.001 ¥ |
| Median log10 CFU (per swab) | 4 (3.5–5) | 2 (1.5–2) | 0.012 * |
| Number of samples with the presence of: | |||
| Actinomyces europaeus | 2 | 0 | |
| Alloiococcus otitidis | 12 | 2 | |
| Coagulase-negative staphylococci | 14 | 15 | |
| Haemophilus haemolyticus | 11 | 1 | |
| Haemophilus influenza | 7 | 1 | |
| Moraxella catharralis | 14 | 3 | |
| Neisseria spp. | 6 | 0 | |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 4 | 0 | |
| Rhodococcus ruber | 2 | 0 | |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 11 | 3 | |
| Streptococcus pneumoniae | 9 | 3 | |
| Streptococcus pyogenes | 10 | 6 | |
| Group viridans streptococci | 9 | 11 |
¥ Chi-squared test. * Wilcoxon rank sum test.