---
abstract: 'Background: Recently the worldwide usage of earphones has increased especially among the school and college students who have a high rate of sharing among them. Alike airline headsets, headphones and stethoscope ear-pieces, ear phones can easily be a vector of potential pathogens, which can give rise to otitis externa. Purpose: To compare the bacterial growth of the external ear in association with earphone and assess the role of earphones as vector or microorganisms. Material and Methods: 50 voluntary male subjects (age 18-25 years) were chosen and divided into two groups, A and B, according to the use of earphones. Swabs were taken from their left ear and the left earpiece of the earphone. Samples were processed as recommended. Results: In group A, bacteria were found in 20 (80%) ear and 14 (56%) earphone swabs. In group B, bacteria were found in 23 (92%) ear and 17 (68%) earphone swabs. Group B showed heavy growth and a significant increase in the number of bacterial growths after frequent and constant use. Conclusion: Frequent and constant use of earphones increases the bacterial growth in the ear and sharing of earphones might be a potential vector of commensals. It is therefore, always better not to share or else to clean the earphones before sharing'
altloc:
  - http://www.ojhas.org/issue26/2008-2-4.htm
chapter: ~
commentary: ~
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creators_id:
  - chiranjay@yahoo.co.in
  - ~
  - ~
  - ~
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creators_name:
  - family: Mukhopadhyay
    given: Chiranjay
    honourific: ''
    lineage: ''
  - family: Basak
    given: Soham
    honourific: ''
    lineage: ''
  - family: Gupta
    given: Soham
    honourific: ''
    lineage: ''
  - family: Chawla
    given: Kiran
    honourific: ''
    lineage: ''
  - family: Bairy
    given: Indira
    honourific: ''
    lineage: ''
date: 2008-07-21
date_type: published
datestamp: 2008-09-19 13:59:44
department: ~
dir: disk0/00/00/62/00
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editors_id:
  - Kakkilaya BS
editors_name:
  - family: Kakkilaya
    given: Srinivas
    honourific: Dr.
    lineage: ''
eprint_status: archive
eprintid: 6200
fileinfo: /style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png;/6200/1/2008%2D2%2D4.pdf
full_text_status: public
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keywords: 'Bacterial profile, ear, earphone, student'
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:57:11
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longitude: ~
metadata_visibility: show
note: ~
number: 2
pagerange: ~
pubdom: TRUE
publication: Online Journal of Health and Allied Sciences
publisher: Dr. B.S. Kakkilaya
refereed: TRUE
referencetext: "1.\tStroman DW, Roland PS, Dohar J, Burt W. Microbiology of Normal External Auditory Canal. Laryngoscope 2001;111:2054-9.\r\n2.\tBrook I. Microbioloical Studies of the Bacterial Flora of the External Auditory Canal in Children. Acta Otolaryngol 1981;91:285-7.\r\n3.\tClark WB, Brook I, Bianki D, Thompson DH. Microbiology of Otitis Externa. Otolarungol Head Neck Surg 1997;116:23-5.\r\n4.\tNormal Microbial Flora of the Human Body. In: Brooks GF, Butel JS, Morse SA et al editors - Jawetz, Melnick and Adelberg's Medical Microbiology, 23rd ed., New York : McGraw Hill, 2004:196-7.\r\n5.\tRubin MA, Gonzales R, Sande MA - Infections of the Upper Respiratory Tract. In: Kasper DL, Fauci AS, Longo DL, Braunwald E, Hauser SL, Jameson JL et al editors - Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. Volume I, 16th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005:188-9.\r\n6.\tUSA TODAY - Tech Products - For iPod users, a budding problem. Available at http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2006-03-05-ipod-hearing_x.htm (accessed on Mar 21 2008)\r\n7.\tBrook I. Bacterial Flora of Airline Headset Devices. Am J Otolaryngol 1985;6:111-4.\r\n8.\tMazlan R, Saim L, Thomas A, Said R, Liyab B. Ear Infection and Hearing Loss amongst Headphone Users. Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences 2002;9:17-22.\r\n9.\tBrook I. Bacterial Flora of Stethoscopes' Earpieces and Otitis Externa. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1997;106:751-2.\r\n10.\tKoneman EW, Allen SD, Janda WM, Schreckenberger PC, Winn WC. Color Atlas and Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology. 5th ed. Lippincott, NY; 1997"
relation_type: []
relation_uri: []
reportno: ~
rev_number: 20
series: ~
source: ~
status_changed: 2008-09-19 13:59:43
subjects:
  - OJHAS
succeeds: ~
suggestions: ~
sword_depositor: ~
sword_slug: ~
thesistype: ~
title: A Comparative Analysis of Bacterial Growth with Earphone Use
type: journale
userid: 4338
volume: 7
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