These 12 variants were found in the following genes: APBB1IP, ARID3A, BHLHE41, C5AR1, CPT1B, CRYBG1, FAM227A, HEPHL1, RAB5A, RGS22, RTN4, and SPTLC3. All 12 genes are novel and have not been previously reported for DNA variants that confer human susceptibility to otitis media or cholesteatoma. Here, HEPHL1 is linked to cholesteatoma.