Epidemiological and Microbiological Aspects of the Peritonsillar Abscess

Abstract

Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is the most common complication of tonsillitis. Cultivation usually reveals a wide spectrum of aerobic and anaerobic microbiota. This retrospective study compared PTA incidence and the spectrum of individual microbial findings in groups of patients divided by gender, age, and season. Of the 966 samples cultivated, a positive cultivation finding was detected in 606 patients (62.73%). Cultivation findings were negative in 360 (37.27%), meaning no pathogen was present or only common microbiota was cultivated. The highest incidence of PTA was found in group I patients (19–50 years) (p ≤ 0.0001) and the most frequently cultured pathogens was Streptococcus pyogenes (36.23%). Gender seemed to have an influence on the results, with higher incidence found in males (p ≤ 0.0001). The analysis of correlation between PTA incidence and season did not yield statistically significant results (p = 0.4396) and no statistically significant differences were observed in individual pathogen frequency. PTA had a higher incidence in adult males and a slightly higher incidence in girls in childhood. The following findings are clinically significant and have implications for antibiotic treatment strategy: (1) the most frequently cultivated pathogen was Streptococcus pyogenes; (2) an increased incidence of anaerobes was proven in the oldest group (>50 years).

Methanobrevibacter smithii tonsillar phlegmon: a case report

“…We are reporting the unprecedented detection of the methanogen M. smithii in the pus sample collected from a case of tonsillar phlegmon. While this detection was ascertained by the negativity of the negative controls and the fact that the amplicon was sequenced, the very same pus also yielded a total of eight different bacterial species, which is in agreement with previous knowledge regarding the bacterial species reported to be associated with tonsillar phlegmon [ [18] , [19] , [20] ].…”

Oral and Maxillofacial Infections—A Bacterial and Clinical Cross-Section

“…The higher proportion of the anaerobic spectrum in elderly patients was a result of a higher incidence of metabolic and cardiopulmonary comorbidities in elderly patients. Moreover, the same authors reported the absence of yeast in the 18 years or younger age group [ 35 ]. This affects the different course of infections in elderly patients, and may have clinical implications in the need to use other antibiotics [ 21 , 36 ].…”

Needle aspiration in peritonsillar abscess: our experience in Chitwan

“…10 All of our cases had unilateral abscess with laterality to left side 52.6% with male predominance of 72%. [11][12][13] Patients with PTA generally visit hospital with the chief complaint of difficulty in swallowing and trismus, fever. 14 In our study 55 (96.5%) had difficulty in swallowing while 33 (57.9%) had trismus.…”