Abstract

Objective: To compare the microbiologic flora from the surface and core cultures in patients with recurrent tonsillitis and to study the immunologic changes within the tonsils.

Material and Methods: Forty – two patients, who were treated by tonsillectomy for recurrent tonsillitis in Taksim Research and Training Hospital Otorhinolaryngology Department, were enrolled in this study. After intubation and following oropharyngeal aspiration, tonsillar surface cultures were taken transorally. Following tonsillectomy, each tonsil was divided into two using a scalpel and tonsil core cultures were taken for microbiological analysis. The other half of the tonsils were sent to pathology laboratory for histopahological evaluation.

Results: The most frequent bacterium isolated from the samples was beta hemolytic streptococcus. When surface and core cultures of the tonsils were compared, no statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of beta hemolytic streptococcus and alpha hemolytic streptococcus isolation (p>0.05). Detection of pathogenic microorganism in the core cultures was significantly higher than the surface cultures (p

Key words: Recurrent tonsillitis, core culture, surface culture