Presence of interferon during bacterial otitis media.

To examine the possibility that interferon (IFN) production plays a role in otitis media, specimens of middle ear fluid (MEF) were cultured for bacteria and viruses and assayed for IFN. Twenty (33%) of 81 MEF specimens from children attending a pediatric clinic contained 50-600 units of IFN/ml. Characterization of high-titered samples by cell species specificity, stability at pH 2, nonspecificity for virus, and cell-bound antiviral activity showed the major properties of IFN.