Surface tonsillar microflora versus deep tonsillar microflora in recurrent acute tonsillitis

Abstract

Patients (100) suffering from recurrent acute tonsillitis were studied. One hundred tonsils were cultured. Surface bacteria were compared to deep bacteria. In 48% of the cases a different pathogen was cultured from the interior of the tonsil as compared to the surface culture. This fact may explain recurrence of tonsillitis and makes the reliability of the conventional tonsillar culture questionable. Surgical extirpation of the tonsils seems to be the only treatment since deep bacteria remain unidentified and resist the antibiotic therapy that may affect only the surface microflora.