Acute Tonsillitis Causes

Acute Tonsillitis is a sudden, severe inflammation of the tonsils, which is an area of lymph tissue located at the back of the throat. The condition is usually diagnosable by a physical exam. Typically, acute tonsillitis is cured through oral steroids and antibiotics and does not require the surgical removal of the tonsils. There are five primary causes of acute tonsillitis, each with their own characteristics.

Streptococcus Bacteria

• Streptococcus bacteria is a germ that is commonly found in the throat or on the skin of humans. Often, people carry the streptococcus bacteria without even knowing it because they have built up resistance to their own bacteria. It is when a person is subjected to foreign streptococcus that settles into a part of the body where the bacteria is not usually present that illness occurs. In the case of acute tonsillitis, the tonsils become infected by streptococcus bacteria. This typically happens through kissing a person with streptococcus bacteria or coming in contact with their mucus from a sneeze or cough. The streptococcus bacteria amass on the tonsils, reproducing and causing inflammation. Penicillin and other antibiotics are common cures for acute tonsillitis caused by streptococcus bacteria.

Haemophilus Bacteria

• Haemophilus bacteria is a germ that causes pneumonia and ear infections. It is most prevalent in children and typically spreads to their siblings and children at school through saliva spread by coughing or sneezing. Vaccines and improved health care have reduced the occurrence of the bacteria to one in every 100,000 children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, haemophilus bacteria is still a cause of acute tonsillitis in children. This occurs when the bacteria multiply upon the tonsils, causing inflammation and infection. Like tonsillitis caused by streptococcus, haemophilus tonsillitis is typically cured with antibiotics.

Adenovirus

• The adenovirus is also a common cause of acute tonsillitis. The adenovirus grows in the lining of many systems in the human body, including the respiratory, digestive and urinary systems. Adenovirus is quite common, and most Americans have at least one outbreak of the virus by the time they are 10 years old, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases of adenovirus are more common from March through June, making this the most prevalent time for cases of acute tonsillitis caused by the virus to appear. In such cases, the virus affects the lining of the lymph tissue, causing the tonsils to become painful and inflamed. Treatment with a humidifier to relieve the discomfort and prescription steroids are the most common courses of action taken to fight this type of acute tonsillitis, which basically must run its course as antibiotics have no effect upon viruses.

Mononucleosis

• Mononucleosis, or mono, commonly called "The Kissing Disease," is another cause of acute tonsillitis. Mono is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus and passed through the exchange of saliva through kissing, sneezing or coughing. Mononucleosis typically affects those with run-down immune systems and is most prevalent in teenagers and young adults, who are often sleep-deprived and stressed. Mononucleosis primarily infects the throat, but it can spread to the tonsils in some instances. Normally, the only treatment for mono is rest and fluids, but steroids may be prescribed occasionally, particularly if the acute tonsillitis makes it difficult to breathe.

Diphtheria

• Diphtheria is an infectious disease that results in a thick, dark gray membrane forming along the respiratory tract, including the tonsils. This membrane can make it very difficult to breathe and also leads to swelling of infected tissues, which, in the case of the tonsils, may result in acute tonsillitis. Although it is a highly deadly disease, diphtheria has been largely controlled through the use of vaccines in the United States; in fact, fewer than five new cases of the disease are discovered in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. For those who do contract the disease, anti-toxic injections and intravenous drugs are given to treat the disease and its side effects, such as acute tonsillitis.