Why Johnny's ears always hurt

Parents of the millions of young children who suffer from chronic ear infections can blame bacteria that collects in drug-resistant colonies for their kids' misery, researchers at Allegheny General Hospital have discovered.

Detection of bacterial biofilms in the middle ears of children with repeat ear infections explains why antibiotics don't combat this common disease, said co-lead investigator Dr. J. Christopher Post, an AGH physician whose findings appeared in Tuesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"This is really a landmark paper," said independent expert Dr. Richard Chole, head of otolaryngology at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. "It leaves little doubt that these middle ear problems in children are due to biofilms."

Chronic ear infection is the most common reason that children visit doctors and is responsible for more antibiotic prescriptions than any other illness, according to the National Institutes of Health. More than 10 million children in the United States are treated for ear infections each year.

Children with chronic ear infections might suffer from repeated, painful infection or develop persistent fluid behind the eardrum that lasts for months in the absence of symptoms other than hearing loss and consequent learning problems.

•	Why Johnny's ears always hurt Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Wednesday, July 12, 2006 Byline: Jennifer Bails, TRIBUNE-REVIEW