In Korean barber shops, the ear cleaning instruments (scoop and brush) are usually re-used. So, it will be sources of bacterial and fungal infection and its transmission in the ear.
Collected from instruments(98 scoops and 94 brushes) of the 98 different barber shops,
were examined the distribution of microorganisms (especially staphylococci and fungi.) Also
studied antibiotics susceptibility of the isolated staphylococci which showed coagulase positive
The results of this study were summarized as follows:
1. Bacteria were isolated from all specimens (192) and fungi were 139 (72.5%). In the isolated bacteria, Gram, positive cocci were 91. 1%, Gram negative cocci were 33. 9%, Gram positive bacilli were 27.8% and Gram negative bacilli were 10. 4%.
2. Bacteria and fungi isolated more than two species from the same specimens were 51.6% and 61.9%, respectively.
3. Among the isolated 149 strains of Staphylococci, coagulase positive were 61(40.9%).
4. Isolated 61 coagulase positive staphylococci were highly susceptible to the most of antibiotics except for penicillin and ampiciliin.
5. The distribution of fungi from the 192 specimens were Aspergillus sp. 61(31.8%), Penicillium sp. 38(19.8%), Cladosporium sp. 24(12.5%), Neurospora sp. 20(10.4%), Candida sp. 12(6. 3%), Alternaria sp. 10(5. 2%), Paecilomyces sp. 7(3. 6%), Rhizopus sp. 6(3. 1%), Mucor sp. 6(3. 1%), Phoma sp. 5(2.6;´), Hormodendrum sp. 5(2.6%), Fusarium sp. 3(1. 6%). Trichothecium sp, 2(1. 0%), Helmithosporium sp. 2(1.0%), Mycelia sterila, Verticillium sp. , Pullularia sp. and Gliocladium sp. isolated 1(0. 5%) strain, respectiv ely. Yeast-like organisms isolated 29(15.1%) strains. Unidentified were 25(13. 0%) strains.
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