Chapter 21, Problem 5SQ

The following are true about ear infection: Middle ear infections (otitis media) often produce a puslike exudate (referred to as otitis media with effusion) due to infection by genera of Streptococcus, Haemophilus, or various species of anaerobes; External auditory canal (otitis externa) infections are typically caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa; After successful treatment of middle ear infections with antibiotics, sometimes tubes are inserted to prevent fluid accumulation, repeated infections, and hearing loss; and Repeated ear infections in children often decrease markedly because as the child ages, the Eustachian tube changes shape and develops an angle that prevents most organisms from reaching the middle ear.