Browne JJ, et al. - The association between regulatory T lymphocytes (T_reg) and otopathogens was investigated in chronic otitis media (COM) prone and non-COM prone children. Researchers enrolled 40 children, 2 to 7 years of age, scheduled for adenoidectomy into COM (n = 20) or non-COM (n = 20) groups. Analysis revealed a positive association between clinically-detectable otopathogen nasopharyngeal culture and T_reg lymphocytes, potentially inducing suppressive effector responses to promote colonization and infection chronicity. This finding emphasizes investigating T_reg lymphocyte activity and influence on upper airway colonization of young children.