Mycotic flora in tonsils and adenoids. A microbiological and histological evaluation.

The tonsils of 147 patients with chronic tonsillitis and the adenoids of 134 children with recurrent respiratory infections were cultured for fungal organisms and studied microscopically. A control group consisted of 68 healthy persons. Positive cultures were obtained in 64% of patients with chronic tonsillitis, in 21% of children treated with adenoidectomy, and in 69% of the control group. Candida albicans, Saccharomyces sp. and Aspergillus were the most common organisms. The histological investigations revealed no evidence of pathogenecity in these organisms. They were found in the tonsillar crypts, and no granulomatous inflammation was seen surrounding them.