Washington - Parents know the frustration of trying to get that gunky pink antibiotic into a tot screaming from an ear infection. A one-time squirt of special ear drops one day might replace that ordeal.

It’s only been tried in animals so far — chinchillas, to be exact. But researchers report Wednesday that an antibiotic gel coated the animals’ eardrums and slowly seeped inside to do its job for a week, clearing up an infection that usually requires a 10-day course of oral antibiotics.

“It’s always a full-contact martial art” to get youngsters to swallow today’s liquid antibiotic several times a day, said senior researcher Dr. Daniel Kohane of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. A pediatrician and anesthesiologist, he studies novel ways to deliver drugs — and says when he describes the experimental ear gel, “people with kids get this right away.”

Easier dosing is just one goal. And importantly, if the approach pans out when tested in children, it also could help prevent development of antibiotic-resistant infections. Too often, parents stop treatment once their youngster starts feeling better, allowing lingering bacteria to bounce back stronger.... Read More: VIN