If it seems like your child develops ear infections more often than other kids, you may be right. Researchers have found a link to why some people are more susceptible to ear infections than others.
If it seems like your child develops ear infections more often than other kids, you may be right. Researchers led by an otolaryngologist from Baylor College of Medicine recently published the results of study examining why some people are more susceptible to ear infections than others.
The study focused on an indigenous community in the Philippines where everyone shared the same socioeconomic status and lifestyle factors. By gene sequencing community members, scientists found that 80 percent of the people who developed "otitis media," or middle ear infections, carried a variant gene called A2ML1. They also found the same variant gene in three children in Texas who were also prone to ear infections. One was Hispanic-American and two were European-Americans. Because the variant was found in several ethnic groups, it is most likely that a group of people from outside the population brought the gene variant into the populations several generations ago. In this case, that "founder" would likely have been from Spain.
The variant gene in question controls a protein in the epidermis and may play a role in the immune system that protects the ear. The research team suspects that the gene somehow loses its protective effect in the ear lining, leading to otitis media. The full report on the team's work appears online in the journal Nature Genetics.