Chlamydia trachomatis: a currently recognized pathogen of tonsillitis.

The authors investigated whether or not Chlamydia trachomatis could be isolated from tonsillar crypts in order to establish directly the relationship of the organism to the tonsillar infection. In 17 of 65 (26.2%) cases with tonsillitis, C. trachomatis was recovered from tonsillar crypts. Ten of the 17 Chlamydia-positive patients were attended for recurrent sore throat and 5 for lingering tonsillitis. Thirteen of the 17 cases had serum antibody to C. trachomatis. We also isolated this microorganism from one of 18 persons complaining of a lumpy throat. Eleven of the 18 Chlamydia-positive patients had pertinent histories of oro-genital sexual activity, and pharyngeal infection apparently resulted from direct inoculation. The available data suggest that tonsillitis, the most common problem in otorhinolaryngology, may be caused by C. trachomatis more often than has been suspected.