| Description: |
Background Acute otitis media (AOM) is among the most common paediatric diseases and a leading cause of morbidity in children. Common etiologic pathogens include non-typable Haemophilus influenza, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Moraxella catarrhalis among others. Evidence shows an increase in cases of antimicrobial resistance when treating for AOM in children, which could be attributed to high rates of empirical treatment for cases of AOM without a clear microbial picture of the otopathogens responsible for the condition. Aim This study aimed at determining the magnitude of AOM as well as the antimicrobial sensitivity patterns of nasopharyngeal isolates in children with AOM receiving care at hospitals in Moshi Municipality Methods Multi-centre cross-sectional study, carried out between September 2023 to February 2024 at the 4 study sites in the outpatient departments. Children under the age of 5 years presenting with AOM during the study period were enrolled. An interview was conducted with parents/caregivers followed by clinical assessment of the children. Nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained from each of these patients and sent to the laboratory for bacterial culture and sensitivity. Data was analysed using SPSS v22. Results A total of 117 children were enrolled in the study from 420 children receiving care during the study period, making a magnitude of AOM was 27.9% with children between 13 to 24 months of age being the most susceptible. Common isolated pathogens included S. pyogenes , E. coli , Acinetobacter spp. and P. aeruginosa and S. aureus . Amikacin, Meropenem, Ciprofloxacin and Tazobactam/Piperacillin had the highest rates of susceptibility while Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Ceftriaxone and Amoxicillin/Clavulanic acid showed high levels of resistance. Conclusion Magnitude of AOM among children is 27.9%. Bacterial pathogens isolated from nasopharyngeal swabs are different from the common etiologic bacteria seen in ... |