Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Faster bacteria ID in dog ear discharge using membrane filter
By Maeda, Hiroto et al.·Published in Journal of microorganism control·2025·Maeda Veterinary Hospital.·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Investigation of a Membrane Filter Protocol for Direct Identification of Microorganisms in Dog Ear Discharge using MALDI-TOF MS.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that dogs with ear infections (otitis externa) often have bacteria in their ear discharge, which can cause severe inflammation. Researchers tested a new method using a membrane filter and a special kit to identify these bacteria more accurately. They discovered that this method was significantly better at detecting bacteria compared to using the kit alone. This means that if your dog has ear discharge, a vet can use this improved technique to quickly and reliably identify the bacteria causing the infection, leading to better treatment options.
People also search for: dog ear infection treatment · how to identify bacteria in dog ear discharge · dog ear discharge causes
Abstract
Otitis externa is an ear disease that is present in 10-20% of dogs. Bacterial organisms are a common cause, and infection may cause severe and chronic inflammation. Thus, there is a need for early detection and identification of bacteria in ear discharge samples. In this study, 31 such samples were analyzed to identify microorganisms using MALDI-TOF MS with pretreatment using a membrane filtration protocol and a rapid BACpro II kit, compared to pretreatment with a rapid BACpro II kit alone. Reliable scores for E. coli and E. faecalis were obtained after inoculation of samples with 1.0×10CFU/ml using the membrane filter with the rapid BACpro II kit, with approximately 10-fold higher sensitivity compared to rapid BACpro pretreatment alone. Among 31 bacteria-positive colonies in the samples, MALDI-TOF MS and membrane filtration (0.80 µm) with a rapid BACpro II kit was significantly more accurate compared to use of the kit alone (29 (82.9%) vs. 17 (48.6%) isolates identified, p<0.001). These results show that MALDI-TOF MS with a membrane filter and a rapid BACpro II kit is a quick and reliable method for bacterial identification in ear discharge samples.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40571566/