Epidemiological and Microbiological Aspects of the Peritonsillar Abscess.

David Slouka,Vaclav Babuska,Ondřej Topolcan,Ladislav Pecen,Jana Hanakova,Vojtech Kubec,Radek Kucera,Tomas Kostlivy,Petr Skopek

doi:10.3390/ijerph17114020

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).

Highlights

Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is one of the most frequent local complications of acute tonsillitis; the incidence of its occurrence in the population is reported as 10–45/100,000 people. [1,2]
We found that PTA has a higher incidence in males in adulthood and a slightly higher incidence in girls in childhood
Aerobic agents predominated in the cultivation findings and the most frequently cultivated pathogen was Streptococcus pyogenes

Summary

Introduction

Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is one of the most frequent local complications of acute tonsillitis; the incidence of its occurrence in the population is reported as 10–45/100,000 people. [1,2]. Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is one of the most frequent local complications of acute tonsillitis; the incidence of its occurrence in the population is reported as 10–45/100,000 people. [1,2] It is diagnosed in patients of almost all age groups, most often in adolescents and young adults. A peritonsillar phlegmon develops, a pyogenic membrane forms, and the inflammatory process obtains the form of abscess [7,8]. PTA may be accompanied by the development of other complications such as airway obstruction [9]. The patient may alternate between individual forms of

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