Annals of Clinical Microbiology, The official Journal of the Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology
Case report

Two Cases of Chronic Otitis Media caused by Aspergillus terreus

Sung Hee Han, M.D., Mi Ae Lee, M.D. and Wha Soon Chung, M.D.

Department of Clinical Pathology, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea

Corresponding to Mi Ae Lee, E-mail: miae@mm.ewha.ac.kr

Ann Clin Microbiol 1999;2(2):212-215.
Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.

Abstract

Fungi have been recognized as a significant cause of external otitis and it may be the primary pathogen or be part of a mixed infection. In the immunocompromised host, fungus is capable of producing infection in inner ear or middle ear. Otomycoses are most frequently caused by Aspergillus spp. and Candida spp. There are few reports that Aspergillus species other than A. fumigatusA. niger and A. flavus have caused chronic otitis media. We report two cases of chronic otitis media caused by Aspergillus terreus in Korea. One case is a 7-year-old girl who had recurrent serous otorrhea and otalgia for 4 years, was reattended otolaryngology clinics with otorrhea of 3 days durations and another is a 6-year-old girl who had serous otorrhea for 2 months and 3 day fever, was attended otolaryngology clinics with them. Microscopic appearance and colony morphology from ear discharge cultures revealed A. terreus. The infection responded well to topical ketoconazole therapy. This report should help to raise medical personnel’s awareness of such human opportunistic fungal ear infections. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 1999;2:212-215)

Keywords

Otomycosis, Otitis media, Aspergillus terreus