CONTACT: Jim Sliwa WASHINGTON, DC – July 6, 2010 -- Ear
infections caused by more than one species of bacteria could be
more persistent and antibiotic-resistant because one pathogen
may be communicating with the other, encouraging it to bolster
its defenses. Interrupting or removing that communication could
be key to curing these infections. Researchers from Wake Forest
University Baptist Medical Center publish their findings today
inmBio™, the online open-access journal of the American Society
for Microbiology. “In this study we show that communication
between bacterial species promotes bacterial persistence and
resistance to antibiotics, which are important considerations in
the diagnosis, preventions and treatment of otitis media (OM),”
says W. Edward Swords, an associate professor of microbiology
and immunology and senior author of the study. Chelsie
Armbruster, a Ph.D. student working in Swords’ lab, co-authored
the study. OM is one of the most common childhood infections and
is the leading reason for pe