JPSIM Journal of Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine J Pak Soc Intern Med 2709-8729 2710-0804 Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine 10.70302/jpsim.v7i1.2614 jpsim.v7i1.2614 Original Research The Microbiological Profile of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media in Children Ahmed Manzoor Khan Muhammad Zubair Hussain Junaid Bakhsh Rahim Mahmood Zafar Sadiq Sana Muhammad sanaent1112@gmail.com * Combined Military Hospital Sargodha Khyber Medical University Institute of Medical Sciences, DHQ Teaching Hospital Kohat Pir Abdul Qadir Shah Jeelani Institute of Medical Sciences Gambat Sindh Government Qatar Hospital, Karachi Niazi Medical and Dental College Sargodha *Correspondence: Sana Muhammad Sadiq (sanaent1112@gmail.com) 10 03 2026 2026 7 1 68 73 26 05 2025 14 01 2026 19 02 2026 Copyright © 2026 The Author(s) 2026 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objective

To identify the frequency and distribution of bacterial pathogens in pediatric Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM) and analyze their antibiotic resistance patterns over a year study period at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi.

 Methodology

A cross-sectional-descriptive study was conducted at Sindh Government Qatar Hospital, Karachi, from 1st April 2024, to 30th April, 2025. A total of 350 children (ages 0.5–15 years) diagnosed with CSOM were included via non-probability consecutive sampling. Data were recorded on a predesigned proforma. Bacterial cultures and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed using Gram staining, biochemical tests, and culture media (chocolate, MacConkey, blood agar). Antibiotic susceptibility was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method, following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 23.

 Results

A cohort of 350 children (mean age 5.87±2.17 years) was enrolled and showed male dominance (67.1%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa (31.7%) and Staphylococcus aureus (19.4%) were the most common isolates. Resistance was highest for β-lactams and fluoroquinolones, while glycopeptides and aminoglycosides remained effective. A statistically significant association was found between age of the patients and distribution of multiple organisms using one-way-ANOVA test (p

 Conclusion

Antibiotic resistance in pediatric CSOM necessitates updated regional data for precise treatment. Empirical therapy should be replaced with targeted antibiotic strategies.

 Keywords Antibiotic resistance Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media Ciprofloxacin Hearing Loss Pseudomonas aeruginosa Staphylococcus aureus. Ethics Statement

Ethics committee: Institutional Review Board / Ethics Committee (IRB/EC). Approval number: SGQH-5306, dated March 14, 2024.

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