Otitis externa laboratory findings
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Luke Rusowicz-Orazem, B.S.
Overview
Laboratory Findings
Laboratory findings will vary based on the suspected source of otitis externa.
Bacterial
- Otitis externa from a suspected bacterial infection will be determined by the following tests:
- Swab of the ear canal to determine if the infection is caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus.[1]
- This test will be performed in the event that the symptoms do not resolve with the treatment and the otitis externa becomes recurrent.
- Gram stain test: If the cause is determined to be bacterial, the gram-stain test will determine whether the cause is Psuedomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus:[2]
- Results are purple: indicates that the culture is gram-positive and is indicative of Staphylococcus aureus.
- Results that are pink: indicates that the culture is gram-negative and is indicative of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
- Swab of the ear canal to determine if the infection is caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus.[1]