what has caused my acute tonsillitis?Back in March i had the most agonizing sore throat, which was similar to the symptoms of 'strep throat'. i was given antibiotics for that which cleared that up, but since then i would get phases of mild tonsillitis until in the summer i had sever tonsillitis which involved puss-ey tonsils, fever and i could barely get out of bed. since then, i have been on continuous penicillin. every time i am not on penicillin, i have tonsillitis and my tonsils are always swollen now which has made my hearing and breathing is rubbish. i rely on penicillin and i am on the waiting list for a tonsillectomy.
a doctor at my hospital said i may have had glandular fever?
does anyone have a clue as to what caused this? any ideas, and does anyone have any similar experiences or advice?
thanks for reading! stay healthy!!
ps. my ears were also in a lot of pain and the glands in my throat were swollen if that helps.
Vicki
So sorry to hear this :( The causative agent of strep throat is a bacteria called Streptococcus pyogenes, and the antibiotic of choice is usually penicillin. However, penicillin can only kill extracellular strep (i.e. bacteria that are outside of host cells). Research has recently discovered that many strains of S. pyogenes are actually capable of hiding INSIDE host cells... to kill these strains you need a different kind of antibiotic that can be taken up by your cells (i.e. erythromycin). Many scientists now believe that people with recurrent strep infections carry strains of S. pyogenes that are capable of hiding inside the tonsillar cells for many years, acting as a reservoir. Treatment with a macrolide antibiotic like erythromycin, or a tonsillectomy, may be good alternatives to continuous treatment with penicillin.
Hope this helps! I'm a graduate student in microbiology and I've been studying Streptococcus pyogenes this semester, it's a real bugger.
Helpful answer below. Tonsillitis explained | Better Health Channel
Links to information about tonsillitis , including tonsillectomy.
Orignal From: what has caused my acute tonsillitis?
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