Are we ushering into the pre-antibiotic era: alarming trends of antibiotic resistance in chronic otitis media in a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, India

Background: Chronic otitis media is an infection of the middle ear cleft for at least 12 weeks or more. It has a high prevalence rate in India pertaining to factors like malnutrition, overcrowding and poor hygiene. Thanks to greats like Paul Ehrlich and Alexander Fleming, Antimicrobials are a powerful and readily available form of treatment for this disease. Methods: In this study we re-evaluated the changing trends in bacteriological profile of COM and the antibiotic sensitivity pattern to most of the currently available antibiotics in a tertiary care hospital in India. Results: Most common pathogens found in our study were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Enterococcus, Escherichia coli and Morganella morganii. A declining pattern in the sensitivity towards commonly used antibiotics with an alarming increase in MRSA was observed. Conclusions: The trends observed in our study warrant an urgent need for antibiotic policies, judicious use of antibiotics and vigilance in our hospitals.