Moraxella Catarrhalis Infrequently Cultured from Middle Ear Fluid of Children with Acute Otitis Media.

We compared the distribution of organisms in the nasopharynx and the middle ear fluid in 164 episodes of acute otitis media in children 6-35 months of age. In contrast to Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae , Moraxella catarrhalis is isolated from the middle ear in only 11% of episodes with nasopharyngeal colonization with this organism.