Acute and chronic otitis media and Turicella otitidis: a controversial association

Turicella otitidis is a non-fermenting Gram-positive bacillus isolated almost exclusively from ear exudates. Its significance in acute or chronic otitis media is controversial. Over a 12-month period, T. otitidis was isolated from nine ear exudates from seven patients. Most of these were cases of spontaneous drainage following recurrence of otitis media after antimicrobial therapy that was ineffective against T. otitidis. The MICs of penicillin, levofloxacin, linezolid and vancomycin were very low for all the isolates studied, but most isolates displayed high resistance to macrolides and lincosamides.