Longitudinal studies of experimental otitis media with Haemophilus influenzae in the gerbil.

Haemophilus influenzae non-typable strain 119 was found to cause severe otitis media with sequellae when inoculated into the middle ear cavities of the Mongolian gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus. Acute inflammation was followed by the development of highly vascular granulation tissue and formation of new bone within the middle ear bulla. These changes persisted throughout the 14-week study in the untreated animals. The gerbil was variably susceptible to otitis media caused by inoculating 30-3000 bacterial cells and 100% susceptible to greater than 3000 cells. The susceptibility of the gerbil to common etiological agents of otitis media allows its use as an appropriate model of the disease.