Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection of the Middle Ear

¹ Instructor in Medicine, Division of Pulmonary of Medicine, University of Colorado Medical Center
² Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado Medical Center, and Chief, Tuberculosis Section, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Hospital and Research Center

A diagnosis of tuberculous infection of the middle ear was made in two cases 25 years and one year after the onset of symptoms. The patients experienced purulent otorrhea without fever or otalgia and progressive deterioration in auditory acuity. The diagnosis was established by culture of the aural discharge. There was no definite evidence of tuberculosis infection in the lungs or other organ systems. Treatment was instituted with antituberculosis chemotherapy, with improvement in symptoms. It is necessary to consider this etiologic possibility in all tuberculosis patients with otorrhea as well as those patients without apparent tuberculosis with recurrent otitis media that does not respond to the usual therapy.