Glue ear and bacteria
Deafness Research UK supported an investigation into the possibility that bacteria not only cause persistent or recurrent glue ear, but can also lead to the rare complications of glue ear, such as nerve damage, causing permanent deafness or damage to the tiny bones in the ear that transmit sound vibrations.
[Project grant: 2006-2008]
It is not known why glue ear persists and recurs in some children and current surgical treatments do not prevent these rare complications.
This investigation, by Professor John Birchall, from the ENT Department of Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, could lead to new medical treatments that will not only remedy glue ear but prevent further damage to hearing.
The team investigated the possibility that the bacteria that cause glue ear exist in a relatively inactive state in the ear, making them very hard to detect and to treat with antibiotics. They also studied whether these bacteria produce harmful substances that breakdown the normal structures of the ear, leading to the complications described above.
Initial results from the study showed a wider range of bacterial presence in the glue than the three main bacteria that were originally thought to cause the condition. The range of bacteria found showed indications that they are present in the ear in an inactive state. More work is needed, however, before the team can determine the precise form in which the bacteria exist.
The team also investigated the potential of the bacteria they found to cause glue ear. A possible pathogenic mechanism has been identified and the team are working on determining the sequence of events that follows after the bacteria adhere to cells in the middle ear.
If the underlying causes of the disease can be determined, surgery may be avoided and more ‘intelligent’ targeting by antibiotics could potentially be undertaken. New treatments that are currently being developed in other branches of medicine to target bacteria in slow growing states could also be used to treat glue ear.
