acute otitis media

noun

: infection of the middle ear that is of rapid onset and is marked by inflammation, earache, fever, decreased hearing, fluid in the middle ear, and sometimes rupture of the tympanic membrane

Note: Acute otitis media is most common in infants and young children. It is caused by a bacterium or virus and typically occurs as a complication of an upper respiratory infection.

—abbreviation AOM

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The authors concluded that the most likely condition was acute otitis media, aka a middle ear infection, which had spread to the underlying bone, specifically the mastoid bone (mastoiditis). —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 24 Feb. 2022

In February 2020, the company signed a deal with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital to develop a vaccine for acute otitis media, or middle-ear infections, which account for 20 million doctor visits a year in the United States. —Anne Saker, The Enquirer, 6 May 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

acute otitis media

noun

: infection of the middle ear that is of rapid onset and is marked by inflammation, earache, fever, decreased hearing, fluid in the middle ear, and sometimes rupture of the tympanic membrane

Note: Acute otitis media is most common in infants and young children. It is caused by a bacterium or virus and typically occurs as a complication of an upper respiratory infection.

… acute otitis media … is the most frequent childhood illness after the cold and the most common pediatric diagnosis for which antibiotics are prescribed.

—Marianne Neifert, Baby Talk

—abbreviation AOM