Tonsillitis

Tonsillitis, inflammation of the tonsils due to virus or bacteria infection. It may follow sore throat or other pharyngeal disease, or it may be primary tonsil disease. Sore throat and red swollen tonsils, which may exude pus or cause swallowing difficulty, are common; lymph nodes at the angle of the jaw are usually tender and swollen. Quinsy is a rare complication. Antobiotic treatment for the bacterial cause usually leads to a resolution, but removal of the tonsils is needed in few cases.