SAN FRANCISCO Diseases are lurking in our waters, according to
Ricardo M. Mandojana, MD, who spoke at the annual meeting of the
American Academy of Dermatology held here. The most frequent of
the aquatic dermatoses is "swimmer's ear." There are three main
factors that can interact to cause infection of the ear: Other
factors, such as a narrow ear canal, foreign material and too
much (or not enough) cerumen can also contribute to infection.
Signs and symptoms may appear hours or days after swimming,
which include pain and suppuration in the canal. Have the child
tilt his or her head to one side and use a hair dryer to lessen
the moisture in the canal. Do not use cotton-tipped applicators
and don't use ear plugs, petroleum jelly or cerumen softening
products. Treatment after infection usually requires antibiotic
ear drops (colistin sulfate) and oral antibiotics. Many of the
aquatic diseases are more serious than swimmer's ear. Mandojana
presented material that suggests clinicians ought to be more
alert for sign