Study of common aerobic flora of human cerumen

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Abstract
Cerumen is the product of the secretion of the sebaceous, ceruminous or apocrine glands together with cells exfoliated from the cornified stratum of the epithelium of the external auditory canal (EAC).In the present study we identified and quantified common flora of human cerumen. The mean count obtained was 106microorganisms per ml of cerumen suspension.In 24 pools of cerumen (33.3 per cent) the isolates were monomicrobial,Staphylococcus epidermidis(12),Corynebacteriumspp (10),Staphylococcus aureus(1) andStreptococcus saprophyticum(1). In 48 pools (66.6 per cent) we found polymicrobial isolates.The most commonly isolated bacteria in these polymicrobial isolates wereS. epidermidis(35) andCorynebacteriumspp. (43). It is noteworthy that there were isolates ofCandida albicansin three cases; in one case ofPseudomonas stutzeri, in one case ofPseudomonas aeruginosa, and, on seven occasions, ofS. aureus.The organisms isolated as common bacterial components of human cerumen in our experience were similar to those found by other authors. However, the mean count was much higher. This could be related t o climatic conditions and to the length of time the cerumen had remained in the external auditory canal.

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