Treatment of recurrent acute tonsillitis with clindamycin. An alternative to tonsillectomy?

The failure of treatment with penicillin in patients suffering from acute beta-haemolytic streptococcus Group A tonsillitis, may be due to the presence of beta-lactamase-producing bacteria. Several studies indicate that treatment with clindamycin may prevent recurrence and thereby eliminate the need for tonsillectomy. In this prospective study, 54 patients with recurrent acute tonsillitis were investigated. 29 patients were treated with clindamycin, 150 mg 4 times daily for 10 days, while 25 patients received no antibiotic treatment and served as a control group. A significantly reduced number of episodes of acute tonsillitis (P less than 0.01) and of tonsillectomy (P less than 0.001) was found in the group of patients treated with clindamycin.