Respiratory microbiota predicts clinical disease course of childhood acute otitis media

Background: Acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the commonest childhood infections, generally thought to be caused by ascension of bacteria from the nasopharynx (NP) to the middle ear. Using 16S rRNA-based sequencing, we evaluated the relationship between the NP and middle ear fluid (MEF) microbiota in children with acute tympanostomy-tube otorrhea (ATTO; as a proxy for AOM) and explored whether microbiota profiling predicts natural disease course.Methods: Microbiota profiles of paired NP and MEF samples of 94 children aged below five years with uncomplicated ATTO were determined.Results: Local diversity (pConclusions: We observed substantial correlations between NP and MEF microbiota in children with ATTO. Our data indicate that NP microbiota profiling may support future clinical decision-making.