Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Reproducibility of ear cytology in dogs with otitis externa.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary record
- Year:
- 2010
- Authors:
- Lehner, G et al.
- Affiliation:
- Small Animal Medicine Clinic · Germany
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
In a study involving 83 dogs showing signs of ear infections (otitis externa), researchers looked at samples taken from both ears to check for germs. They found that certain breeds, like golden retrievers and West Highland white terriers, were more likely to develop these ear infections, especially in dogs with floppy ears compared to those with upright ears. The study showed that taking two samples from the same ear produced similar results for most types of germs, indicating that the testing method is reliable. Overall, the findings suggest that the way samples are collected and tested for ear infections in dogs is consistent and dependable.
Abstract
Eighty-three dogs with clinical signs of otitis externa and with ear cytology revealing microbial organisms were studied. Samples were collected from both ears of each dog by inserting two swabs successively into each ear canal, rotating each once through 360 degrees and then rolling it out in a line on to a glass slide. For each animal, four single parallel smears (SPS) were made on one slide, which was then appropriately labelled to identify the animal as well as the order of the samples. The slides, one representing each animal, were subsequently stained with modified Wright's stain. Six high-power fields of every SPS were counted. Golden retrievers and West Highland white terriers were found to be predisposed to developing otitis externa (P=0.0006 and P=0.0123, respectively). Otitis externa occurred significantly more frequently in dogs with pendulous pinnae than in dogs with erect pinnae (P=0.0009). There was no significant difference between the first and the second samples with respect to the number of microorganisms found (P>0.1 for cocci and P>0.5 for rods and yeasts), and there was a substantial agreement between the results of the two successive swabs for the presence of cocci (kappa=0.765) and rods (kappa=0.705). For yeasts, the agreement was only moderate (kappa=0.581).
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20605955/