Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T13:46:28.319Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Bacterial colonization of pacifiers of infants with acute otitis media

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

Itzhak Brook  and
Alan E. Gober
Itzhak Brook*
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA.
Alan E. Gober
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA.
*
Address for correspondence: Itzhak Brook, M.D., M.Sc, P.O. Box 70412, Chevy Chase, MD 20813-0412, USA. Fax: (202) 363-4253
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The presence of aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria on the surface of pacifiers used by children with acute otitis media was investigated. The surface of 40 recently used pacifiers was swabbed after they were allowed to dry for five to six minutes. The swabs were processed quantitatively for the presence of aerobic bacteria. The antibacterial activity of the pacifier material was tested in vitro. Microorganisms were isolated from 21 (52.5 per cent) pacifiers. The number of colonies per pacifier varied between one and 35 (average six). The isolates included eight α-haemolytic streptococci, six Staphylococcus epidermis, five Candida albicans, five α-haemolytic streptococci, three Neisseria spp. and two Staphylococcus aureus. The pacifier material was shown to be inhibitory against S. aureus. This study illustrated that pacifiers do not contain high numbers of organisms and therefore are not likely to serve as a source of persistence of transfer of organisms.

Keywords

Otitis mediaInfant careMicrobiology
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 111 , Issue 7 , July 1997 , pp. 614 - 615
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brook, J. Z., Brook, I. (1994) Recovery of organisms from handrails of escalators in the public metro rail system in Washington DC. Journal of Environmental Health 57: 13–14.Google Scholar
Conzanitis, D. A., Grant, J., Makela, P. (1978) Bacterial contamination of telephones in an intensive care unit. Anaesthetist 27: 439–442.Google Scholar
Gibbons, R. J. (1974) Aspects of the pathogenicity and ecology of the indigenous oral flora of man. In Anaerobic Bacteria: Role in Disease. (Ballow, A., ed.) Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, IL. pp 267–285.Google Scholar
Malinberg, E., Birkhed, D., Norvenius, G., Noren, J. G., Dahlen, G. (1994) Microorganisms on toothbrushes at day-care center. Acta Odontologica Scandinavica 52: 93–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, P. R., Baron, E. J., Pfalles, M. A., Tenover, F. C., Yolken, R. H. (1995) Manual of Clinical Microbiology. 5th Edition. American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Niemala, M., Uhari, M., Hannuksela, A. (1994) Pacifier and dental structure as risk factors for otitis media. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology 29: 121–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Niemala, M., Uhari, M., Möttönen, M. (1995) Pacifiers increase the risk of recurrent acute otitis media in children in day care centers. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology 96: 884 888.Google Scholar
Weniger, B. G., Ruttenber, J., Goodman, R. A., Juranek, D. O., Wahlquist, S. P., Smith, J. D. (1983) Fecal coliform on environmental surfaces in two day care centres. Applied Environmental Microbiology 47: 733–738.Google Scholar