Ear swabs are collected from inside the outer ear canal to detect the type of pathogenic organism responsible for the ear infection to determine the best course of treatment.

An ear swab is appropriate in the following cases:

If symptoms of an outer ear infection do not improve after 2 weeks of topical treatment.
Malignant otitis externa – common in those with Diabetes.
Recurrent ear infections: Otitis Externa and Chronic Otitis Externa (Symptoms lasting over 3 months)

Did you know? The very early symptom of otitis externa is itching

Infections of the external auditory canal usually caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (prevalence of 20-60%) and Staphylococcus aureus (prevalence of 10-70%).

Pathogens commonly responsible for otitis media—Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis—are not part of the normal flora of the external canal when the tympanic membrane is intact.

Polymicrobial infections are found in about a third of otitis externa cases.

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