Challenges encountered in the diagnosis of tuberculous otitis media: case report and literature review

• Published in: Journal of laryngology and otology Vol. 125; no. 7; p. 738
• Main Authors: Dale, O T, Clarke, A R, Drysdale, A J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-07-2011
• Subjects: Adult; Antitubercular Agents - therapeutic use; Chronic Disease; Diagnosis, Differential; Drug Therapy, Combination - methods; Earache - etiology; Facial Paralysis - etiology; Facial Paralysis - physiopathology; Female; Hearing Loss, Unilateral - etiology; Humans; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - isolation & purification; Otitis Externa - diagnosis; Otitis Media - complications; Otitis Media - diagnosis; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - isolation & purification; Rare Diseases - complications; Rare Diseases - diagnosis; Tuberculosis - complications; Tuberculosis - diagnosis
• ISSN: 1748-5460
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022215111000971

To report a rare case of tuberculous otitis media, and to highlight barriers to clinical and microbiological diagnosis.
Case report and literature review.
Tuberculous otitis media is a rare cause of chronic ear infection in the UK. Its symptoms may mimic a range of other otological conditions, including otitis media, chronic suppurative otitis media, cholesteatoma and necrotising otitis media.
This case report highlights the challenges of obtaining a clinical diagnosis of tuberculous otitis media, and emphasises the fact that screening for acid-fast bacilli is not sufficient, in isolation, to rule out mycobacterial infection.