Review of otitis media microbiome studies: What do they tell us?

OBJECTIVES: To provide a state of the art review on accruing studies focused on defining the middle ear microbiome, highlighting the relationship of the microbiome to disease pathophysiology. DATA SOURCES: Pubmed indexed peer‐reviewed articles and published textbooks. REVIEW METHODS: Comprehensive review of the literature using the following search terms: “microbiome” “bacterial pathogens” with the term “otitis media,” and “middle ear.” RESULTS: A multitude of microbiome studies have been published in the recent past. In general findings from these studies underscore distinct profiles based on disease category. The adenoidal reservoir theory may not explain all etiologies of middle ear effusion production. The host immune system appears to be associated to the bacterial population identified in the middle ear space. Atopic respiratory diseases correlate to the middle ear microbiome. Some novel middle ear bacterial genera may be protective in terms of disease. CONCLUSION: The understanding of otitis media disease progression pathophysiology is evolving, informed by accruing middle ear microbiomic data. The functional implications of middle ear microbiome findings need to be studied further. This may help counterbalance probiotic vs antibiotic approaches to disease mitigation.