health

Ear infections are caused by either a bacterial or fungal infection of the
outer ear or a viral or bacterial infection of the middle ear. The outer ear
is the visible part of the ear plus the ear canal, a small passage that conducts
sound waves from the outside to the middle ear.
The middle ear is a group of structures that include the eardrum and
three small bones called ossicles that convey sound energy from the ear canal
to the structures of the inner ear. The middle ear is connected to the upper
throat by a passageway called the Eustachian tube, which has two major
functions: to equalize air pressure between themiddle ear and the air outside
the body and to drain fluid or mucus from the middle ear into the throat.