IMMUNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF OTITIS-MEDIA - PRESENT VIEWS ON POSSIBILITIES OF IMMUNOPROPHYLAXIS OF ACUTE OTITIS-MEDIA IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN

The article reviews, based on current knowledge of immunological event s affecting the middle ear, the possibilities and prospects for the pr evention of otitis media (OM) by immunologic measures. While pneumococ cal capsular polysaccharide vaccines proved not to be effective agains t infant acute otitis media (AOM), pneumococcal conjugate vaccines pro vide good immunogenicity even in infants, and call for trials with bet ter prospects of clinical efficacy. The other future approaches curren tly under development are vaccines against nontypable Haemophilus infl uenzae and Branhamella catarrhalis, anti-viral immunoprophylaxis, comb inations of the above alternatives, or passive immunization. Also, the use of new routes or ways of immunization are under study. Furthermor e, the ways to modify the present treatment practices of AOM to favour good immunologic responses in infants and children must be studied.