This article reviews the microbiology of acute otitis media and otitis media with effusion. Emphasis is given to the method of specimen collection and the technique of office bacteriology. Several long-held beliefs are reexamined in the light of current information, particularly the expanded role of Haemophilus influenzae in older children and the diminished role of Mycoplasma in bullous myringitis. Information is presented on anaerobes and Chlamydia trachomatis as pathogens in otitis media.
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