A case of actinomycosis causing unilateral tonsillar hypertrophy.

We report a case of unusual presentation of actinomycosis in the tonsil causing massive unilateral enlargement in a 78-year-old female. To our knowledge, only three cases of actinomycosis causing unilateral tonsillar enlargement have been published previously. Since this anaerobic organism is difficult to culture, the diagnosis is made by observing its associated sulfur granules in the biopsy specimen. In the present case, treatment consisting of tonsillectomy and antibiotic therapy (penicillin) for several days produced a good prognosis.