Turicella otitidis infection: otitis media complicated by mastoiditis

Turicella otitidis is a nonfermentative, Gram-positive bacillus, which is almost exclusively isolated from the ear. Few cases of infection caused by T. otitidis have been reported in the literature, but the pathogenic potential of this little-known bacterium remains controversial, particularly in acute and chronic otitis media. A retrospective study of T. otitidis isolated in the University Hospital of Montpellier in 2004 found T. otitidis in 13 patients. Among them, a 3-year-old girl had presented with acute and perforated otitis media and mastoiditis caused by T. otitidis, thereby confirming the pathogenic effect of this bacterium. T. otitidis is relatively frequently isolated from middle ear samples in healthy patients. However, T. otitidis has been implicated in serious cases of infection and should be considered an opportunistic pathogen. Its clinical significance can be difficult to establish and each case should be carefully interpreted. From a bacteriological point of view, T. otitidis should be precisely identified to obtain more information regarding its role in clinical pathology.