Microbiological Profile of Otitis Media Cases Among Children in Abeokuta, Ogun State

Otitis media is a common childhood ear infection and a significant cause of hearing impairment in Nigeria if inadequately treated. This cross-sectional study determined the bacteriological agents responsible for otitis media among children aged 1 to 12 years presenting to the pediatric ear, nose, and throat outpatient clinic at Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta, Ogun State, in the South West geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Ear discharge swabs were collected from 120 children with clinical diagnoses of acute and chronic otitis media. Samples were processed on blood agar, MacConkey agar, and chocolate agar. Organism identification was performed by standard biochemical methods and VITEK 2 system analysis. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was conducted by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion. Bacterial growth was detected in 91.7 percent of samples. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most prevalent isolate at 32.4 percent, followed by Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis. High resistance rates were recorded against commonly used oral antibiotics including amoxicillin and cotrimoxazole. P. aeruginosa showed 48 percent resistance to ciprofloxacin. These results highlight the need for culture-directed antibiotic therapy in childhood otitis media and argue against empirical prescribing of first-line oral agents without sensitivity data. Strengthened ENT diagnostic services at secondary level facilities across Ogun State are recommended. Keywords: otitis media, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, children, Abeokuta, antibiotic resistance.