Neisseria catarrhalis in Exudate Otitis Media

Abstract

SPECIES of<i>Neisseria</i>other than<i>N meningitidis</i>and<i>N gonorrhoeae</i>are generally felt to be nonpathogenic. In the report on bacteriological findings in middle ear fluid obtained by needle aspiration by Feingold et al¹<i>N catarrhalis</i>is listed as nonpathogenic. However, it is tabulated among the causative organisms in similar studies by Gronroos et al²and by Coffey.³Cases of meningitis due to<i>N catarrhalis</i>have been reported by Garland⁴and by Moersch and Thompson.⁵Lewin and Hughes⁶reported<i>N subflava</i>as a cause of meningitis and septicemia in five children. The purpose of this paper is to report a two-year study of the bacteriology and clinical observations of cases of exudative otitis media, this being a continuation of the previously reported study.³ <h3>Materials and Methods</h3> Tympanic paracenteses were done on all patients with exudative otitis media seen in private clinic practice from