Factors Associated with Otitis Media Among Pediatrics in Two Government Hospitals in Arba Minch, Southern Ethiopia

Ephrem Araya Henok,1 Aseer Manilal,1 Yisiak Oumer,2 Gebre Keyta,1 Melkam Birru,1 Birhane Desta Araya,3 Addis Aklilu,1 Reham Mosleh Alahmadi,4 Gurusamy Raman,5 Akbar Idhayadhulla6 1Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 2Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Arsi University, Asella, Ethiopia; 3School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 4Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Life Sciences, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk-Do, South Korea; 6Research Department of Chemistry, Nehru Memorial College (Affiliated to Bharathidasan University), Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, 621007, IndiaCorrespondence: Aseer Manilal, Email aseermanilal@gmail.comBackground: Bacterial otitis media (OM) is a common infection among the pediatric community worldwide and is the first reason for prescribing antibiotics in pediatric practices. However, if not promptly diagnosed and appropriately treated, it may persist and cause severe intra- and extra-cranial hard-to-cure complications. Hence, knowing the magnitude, etiology, and antibiotic susceptibility profile is very important for the proper management.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 312 pediatrics (1 to 18 years) attending the Ear Nose Throat outpatient departments of the two title hospitals from 25 February to 30th August 2022. Patients were chosen through a systematic random sampling method. Data were obtained by means of a semi-structured questionnaire. Samples were collected to identify the causative bacteria as per microbiological guidelines. The antibiotic susceptibility test was done according to the Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion; SPSS version 25 was used for the analysis.Results: The overall prevalence of otitis media was 67.3% (n=210); CSOM showed a slight preponderance (n=107) Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria were present in 59.8% (n=137) and 40.1% (n=92), respectively. Otitis media was predominantly caused by S. aureus (n=52, 56.5%), followed by Proteus spp. (n=33, 24%). Gram-negative bacteria were highly resistant to co-trimoxazole, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, piperacillin, and tetracycline, whereas their positive counterparts were considerably penicillin and co-trimoxazole resistant. Overall, 61.5 and 19.2% of the isolates were MDR and XDR, respectively. MRSA, MR-CoNs, and VRE were 38.4% (n=20), 17.1% (n=5), and 58.3% (n=12), respectively; 19.7% (n=25) of Gram-negative bacteria produced ESBL, and 7% (n=9) were carbapenem-resistant. History of exposure to loud noise [AOR=3.4; CI=1.14– 10.23; P-value=0.028] and family history of smoking at home [AOR=2.9; CI=1.18– 7.25; P-value=0.020] have the greatest odds of otitis media.Conclusion: Overall, the prevalence of otitis media is showing an upward trend, and MDR among bacterial isolates is increasing alarmingly.Keywords: otitis media, prevalence, bacterial etiology, drug resistance, southern Ethiopia