The adult microbiome of healthy and otitis patients: Definition of the core healthy and diseased ear microbiomesOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
Researchers compared the outer ear microbiome of healthy adults to adults with otitis externa (OE) or otitis media (OM). They profiled both bacteria and fungi, an addition to prior work that focused mostly on childhood ear bacteria.
How was it studied?
The team used intergenic-transcribed-spacer (ITS) sequencing for fungi and 16S rDNA sequencing for bacteria on outer ear samples from healthy and otitis-affected adults.
What did they find?
The healthy core microbiome centered on Cutibacterium acnes plus Malassezia arunalokei, M. globosa, and M. restricta, with Staphylococcus capitis also common. Healthy ears split into an M. arunalokei-dominant group and an M. restricta-dominant group, and data suggested a mutualistic, protective relationship between Malassezia species and C. acnes. Diseased ears instead carried Aspergillus sp., Candida sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Corynebacterium jeikeium, alongside significantly altered diversity and biomass.
Why it matters
Defining a fungal and bacterial core for healthy versus diseased adult ears could help clinicians pinpoint the true cause of otitis earlier, guiding more targeted treatment and better antimicrobial stewardship.