Bacteriologic Evaluation of Peritonsillar Abscess / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is a collection of pus lateral to tonsil and is located between the fibrous capsule of the palatine tonsil, usually at its upper pole, and the superior to the pharyngeal constrictor muscle. It frequently occurs as a complication of acute tonsillitis. Bacteriology including clinical characteristics in PTA were evaluated. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Sixty-one patients with peritonsillar abscess, who visited National Medical Center from January 1997 through August 2001 were entered into the study. Each patient was asked to answer a questionnaire for clinical aspects of PTA. Needle aspirations were performed and pus was drained in all cases. Bacterial susceptibility to ampicillin, cephazoline, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, tetracyclin, and vancomycin was tested on the ioslated bacteria. RESULTS: Among 61 cases, aerobes were isolated in 15 cases (24.6%) and anaerobes in 16 cases (26.2%). There was no significant difference in the culture positive rate of aerobes (p=0.767) and anaerobes (p=1.0) between antibiotics-medicated patients and nonmedicated patients. Among the cultured organisms, peptostreptococcus was the most common and the second most common was beta-hemolytic streptococcus. However, alpha-hemolytic streptococcus, an important pathogen considered in the previous study, was detected at 1.6%. CONCLUSION: Antibiotics medication was not a significant factor in culture positive rate in our study. Peptostreptococcus as an anaerobe and beta-hemolytic streptococcus as an aerobe were the major causes that contributed to the decreased state of peritonsillar abscess and culture positive rate of alpha-hemolytic streptococcus.