Nasopharyngeal flora in the first three years of life in normal and otitis-prone children.

Nasopharyngeal carriage of the three major middle ear pathogens (Streptococcus pneumoniae, nontypeable Hemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis) was evaluated prospectively in a group of 110 children followed up for the first 3 years of life. The findings suggested that nasopharyngeal carriage of middle ear pathogens increases significantly during respiratory illness among the general population of young children; however, otitis-prone children demonstrated a tendency to carry nontypeable H influenzae at an unusually high rate even during health. This propensity to carry nontypeable H influenzae might explain why nontypeable H influenzae is a major cause of recurrent or chronic otitis media.