Incidence of Actinomycosis in the Tonsils and Its Clinical Significance

Background and Objectives:The relationship between actinomycosis and chronic tonsillar diseases, such as chronic recurrent tonsillitis or tonsillar hypertrophy, has been reported several times; but there seems to remain some controversy. The aim of this study was to find out the incidence of actinomycosis in the tonsil and its clinical significance. Subjects and Method:A histologic evaluation with tonsil specimen for actinomycosis was done for 300 patients who had undergone tonsillectomy from July 2005 to February 2006. Other clinical features such as age, sex, chief complaints, tonsil size, frequency of recurrent tonsillitis, and laboratory findings were also analyzed. Results:The incidence of actinomycosis in tonsil was significantly high in adult group. There was no significantly statistical difference in the rate of actinomycosis according to sex, chief complaints, tonsil size, frequency of recurrent tonsillitis, number of leukocytes, and hemoglobin. Conclusion:Actinomycosis seems to have no causal role in recurrent tonsillitis or tonsillar hypertrophy. However, the possibility of actinomycosis should be considered in unusual tonsillar hypertrophy patients. (Korean J Otorhinolaryngol-Head Neck Surg 2007;50:690-3)