Candida infection after tonsillectomy in a 12-year-old girl

Abstract

Abstract Tonsillectomy has been associated with complications such as bleeding, pain, dehydration, edema, airway obstruction, atlantoaxial subluxation and infection. However, fungal infection is a very rare complication of tonsillectomy. We describe the case of a 12-year-old girl who developed oral Candida infection as a complication of tonsillectomy. She had pain and difficulty in swallowing on the third postoperative day, and a local examination revealed an easily grazing, white plate on the tonsillar fossa. A culture of the lesion tissue identified Candida albicans . Local nystatin therapy was administered, and the lesion healed completely by postoperative day 12. We conclude that fungal infection, though rare, can occur as a complication of tonsillectomy.