Multiple Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in aural discharge samples from children with acute otitis media with spontaneous otorrhea.

Among 55 children with cultures positive for acute otitis media with spontaneous otorrhea, 28 (51%) had cultures positive for aural Streptococcus pneumoniae, and in 10 of these, two distinct strains were detected, in which 5 had pairs of strains that were both capsule-bearing serotypes. Such cases were more likely to have cultures positive for other otopathogens than those with only one pneumococcus present.