May/June 2001
HEALTH BYTES

Good bacteria can reduce ear infections

     Natural bacteria in the body can reduce the recurrence of otitis media, a common childhood ear infection. Otitis media is often treated with antibiotics, but the infection generally reappears after treatment. It is believed that antibiotics kill not only infection-causing bacteria, but also beneficial bacteria that form a part of the body's defense system. In a recent study of 130 children with a history of recurrent otitis media, children who received a nasal spray containing alpha-streptococci, a beneficial bacteria, did not develop another ear infection during the three-month study. Therapies that boost helpful bacteria may not only keep otitis media at bay, but also prevent harmful bacteria from becoming resistant to antibiotics by reducing the need for the drugs.

British Medical Journal, January 2001