Asian Sand Dust Particles Increased Pneumococcal Biofilm Formation in vitro and Colonization in Human Middle Ear Epithelial Cells and Rat Middle Ear Mucosa

Air pollutants such as Asian sand dust (ASD) and Streptococcus pneumoniae are risk factors for otitis media (OM). In this study, we evaluate the role of ASD in pneumococcal in vitro biofilm growth and colonization on human middle ear epithelium cells (HMEECs) and rat middle ear using the rat OM model.S. pneumoniae D39 in vitro biofilm growth in the presence of ASD (50-300 μg/ml) was evaluated in metal ion-free BHI medium using CV-microplate...