A 5-year-old boy presents with ear pain and fever. The left eardrum is inflamed with a small perforation in it and pus is seen in the external canal. A swab of the area grows S. pneumoniae. Which of the following is the most likely mechanism for S. pneumoniae to cause otitis media?
Infections of the middle ear, trachea, sinuses, bronchi, and lungs are caused by direct spread from nasopharyngeal colonization. Disease of the CNS, heart valves, bones, joints, and peritoneal are usually caused by hematogenous dissemination.
hematogenous spread
direct extension from the nasopharynx
direct inoculation on the ear
spread through lymphatic tissue
Infection