TUBERCULOUS TONSILLITIS

The epidemiology of tuberculosis has changed recently with an increasi ng incidence of unusual presentations. A case of tuberculous tonsillit is, which is a rare condition, is presented in this report. The manife stations of this entity are tonsillar hypertrophy and painful ulcerati on. Final diagnosis of tuberculous tonsillitis is usually made after h istopathologic examination of tonsillectomy material. Cultures should be obtained from the tissue specimens, and acid-fast bacilli must be i nvestigated to confirm the diagnosis. Systemic signs of tuberculosis m ay not be seen in this clinical form. These features may confuse tuber culous tonsillitis with malignancies. In this article, general informa tion and literature about tuberculous tonsillitis are reviewed, and a case of tuberculous tonsillitis is reported to draw attention to this rare clinical form of tuberculosis.