Tuberculosis of the tonsil revisited

With the advent of effective antituberculous therapy and pasteurisation of cow's milk, there has been considerable reduction in the worldwide prevalence of tuberculosis. Although tuberculosis of the tonsil is now an uncommon finding, tonsillar granulomata are occasionally seen by histopathologists and rarely, some contain tuberculous organisms. One such case has prompted us to examine the tonsils of seventeen cases of open pulmonary tuberculosis complaining of sore throat, dysphagia or other pharyngeal symptoms. No granulomata were demonstrated in fourteen who yielded representative tonsillar tissue, underlining the rarity of association between secondary pulmonary tuberculosis and tonsillar involvement.