Antibiotic susceptibility of bacteria isolated from suppurative acute otitis media in children in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

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Résumé

Background: Acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the most common bacterial infections in children. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a threat to the management of these infections. The objective of this study was to identify and describe the sensitivity profile of bacterial agents isolated in AOM to commonly used antibiotics in the city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted between September 2023 and February 2024 in children aged 0-15 years with clinical features of suppurative AOM seen at the otorhinolaryngology (ORL) departments of four health facilities in Ouagadougou. Ear discharge was collected using sterile swabs and cultured on Chocolate agar media, incubated at 37°C for 24-48 hours in 5% CO₂. The sensitivity of the isolated bacteria to antibiotics was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and interpreted according to the 2021 guideline of the Antibiogram Committee of the French Society of Microbiology (CA-SFM).
Results: A total of 61 children with AOM were recruited and bacteriological culture examination was performed on the ear swabs obtained from them. All but two cultures were positive. A total of 59 bacterial pathogens were isolated with Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) more commonly isolated (67.8%, n=40) in the children, dominated by Klebsiella pneumoniae (18.6%, n=11) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (18.6%, n=11). Aztreonam and imipenem were the most active antibiotics against GNB, but majority of the GNB were sensitive to gentamicin and ciprofloxacin.
Conclusion: Acute otitis media in children, combined with the growing resistance of pathogens to antibiotics, is a real public health challenge. It is necessary to strengthen regular microbiological monitoring and the development of appropriate therapeutic strategies in order to limit the emergence and spread of resistant strains.

Keywords: Acute otitis media; AMR; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Burkina Faso

Mots-clés

Acute otitis media; AMR; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Burkina Faso