Scientists may have a novel way of attacking ear infections in children;
fight the bacteria with bacteria.
According to a new clinical trial published recently in the British
Medical Journal, a nasal spray containing the bacterium
alpha-streptococcal protected children prone to middle ear infections, or
otitis media. Swedish researchers led by Kristian Roos of Lundby
Hospital, Gothenburg, worked with 108 infants and children.
The
double-blind study using the streptococcal spray or a placebo -- in which
neither researchers nor participants knew which spray was administered --
found almost twice as many children had infection-free ears three months
after starting treatment with the bacterium.
Numerous
organisms already circulate the body fighting off invading bacteria,
including those that trigger ear infections. Using alpha streptococcal
merely enhances an existing mechanism that can actually be hindered by
antibiotics, the researchers explained.
"Most antibiotics used to treat infections in the upper respiratory
tract have an impact on the normal bacterial flora, including the
dominating alpha streptococci," they wrote. "As these bacteria
are part of the body's natural defense, treatment with antibiotics abates
this part of the defense system."
Thus
frequent use of antibiotics may exacerbate the problem of recurring ear
infections, not help it, they said.
Children
in the study ranged in age from 6 months to 6 years old and were
vulnerable to otitis media. All received antibiotics twice a day for 10
days followed by either streptococcal or placebo spray in the nose for an
additional 10 days. Sixty days later, researchers administered the same
sprays again for another 10 days, with the same group of children
receiving the streptococcal or placebo spray as before.
At three
months, 22 children, or 42 percent, who took the streptococcal spray were
healthy and had no problems with ear infections. In contrast, only 12 of
those, or 22 percent, who received the placebo had remained free of otitis
media.
Pediatricians have long warned parents and the medical community about
antibiotic overuse contributing to bacterial resistance. Youngsters with
recurrent ear infections, with their millions of doctor visits yearly, can
particularly affect the problem, they have noted
Dr.
Morven Edwards, a pediatrics professor at Baylor College of Medicine in
Houston and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, commented
that he found the Swedish findings intriguing.
"We
have come face to face with fact that increasing bacterial resistance is
the main challenge that faces us in the care of children," Dr.
Edwards told United Press International. "This form of alternative
therapy has potential."
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