Niche- and Gender-Dependent Immune Reactions in Relation to the Microbiota Profile in Pediatric Patients with Otitis Media with Effusion
Frida Enoksson, Alicia Ruíz, Chikondi Peno, Carlos Balcazar Lopez, Fredrik Tjernström, Debby Bogaert, Anders Håkansson, Caroline Bergenfelz
Abstract
Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a common inflammatory disease that primarily affects children. OME is defined as a chronic low-grade inflammation of the middle ear (ME), without any signs of infection and with effusion persisting in the ME for more than 3 months. The precise pathogenesis is, however, not fully understood. Here, we comprehensively characterized and compared the host immune responses (inflammatory cells and mediators) and the overall microbial community composition (microbiota) present in matched middle ear effusion (MEE) samples, external ear canal (EEC) lavages, and nasopharynx (NPH) samples from children with OME.