Acute Otitis Media Organism-Specific Therapy

Updated: Nov 30, 2023
  • Author: Brenda L Natal, MD, MPH; Chief Editor: Thomas E Herchline, MD  more...
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Specific Organisms and Therapeutic Regimens

Organism-specific therapeutic regimens for acute otitis media in adults are outlined below, including those for Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

Streptococcus pneumoniae

See the list below:

Haemophilus influenzae

See the list below:

  • Amoxicillin-clavulanate 875 mg/125 mg PO BID for 7-10d or

  • Cefuroxime 500 mg PO BID for 7-14d or

  • Cefpodoxime 200 mg PO BID for 7-10d or

  • Cefprozil 250-500 mg PO BID for 10d or

  • Ceftriaxone 1 g IM every other day for 3 doses

Moraxella catarrhalis

See the list below:

  • Amoxicillin-clavulanate 875 mg/125 mg PO BID for 7-10d or

  • Cefuroxime 500 mg PO BID for 7-14d or

  • Cefpodoxime 200 mg PO BID for 7-10d or

  • Cefprozil 250-500 mg PO BID for 10d or

  • Ceftriaxone 1 g IM every other day for 3 doses

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

See the list below:  

  • Vancomycin 0.5-2 g/day PO divided q6-8hr for 7-10 days