New Microplasma Treatment to Treat Ear Infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the causative agent for most middle-ear infections. Now, researchers explored the use of microplasma technology in the inactivation and clearance of these disease-causing agents.

Ear infections are common among children, and the use of antibiotics is recommended in most cases. This leads to the problem of antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens.

"Middle ear infections and the over-prescription of antibiotics to treat these are major clinical challenges that are in need of new treatment technologies and solutions," said Stephen Boppart, a medical doctor.

Quiz on Ear Infections
Ear infections are generally classified depending upon the part of ear affected. They mostly affect the ear canal and the middle ear. Test your knowledge on ear infections by taking this quiz.

‘Microplasma jet arrays produce highly reactive molecules that arrest the activities of bacterial cells. When they were used for at least 15 minutes, the cells of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were effectively inactivated.’

Researchers now found the use of a cutting-edge technology that exploits microplasma technology to treat middle-ear infections.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a rod-shaped bacterium is the cause of most middle-ear infections. The researchers from Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology analyzed the use of a microplasma jet array to clear the pathogen in the middle ear. Microplasma refers to the low-temperature plasma that generates reactive molecules containing the potential to clear off infectious organisms.

They mimicked the middle-ear of humans by using an excised rat eardrum. The team used a microplasma jet array for different durations and found that therapy with a minimum duration of 15 minutes was effective enough to destruct the bacterial cells.

About Otitis Media
Middle ear infection, or otitis media, is a common type of infection that may or may not accompany the infections of nose and throat. It is the infection of any part of the middle ear.

"We think that the microplasma disrupts the biofilm by disturbing the bacterial cell membrane. So far, we only have indirect measurements supporting our idea, but we will look into it in the future," said Helen Nguyen (IGOH), one of the authors of the study.

Currently, the team is working on a smaller jet array that helps in extending the exposure times of therapy . They have also planned to experiment with this technology on other middle-ear infection-causing bacteria like Haemophilus influenzae , Streptococcus pneumoniae , and Moraxella catarrhalis .

Ear Infections in Children Respond Better to Standard 10-Day Antibiotic Regimen
When treating children aged 9-23 months of age, a standard 10-day antibiotic regimen had beneficial results for acute ear infections.

Source-Medindia

Acute Ear Infection / Ear Discharge - Causes FAQs
Ear infection is very common in babies and young children. The type of ear discharge depends on the underlying cause.