[A young man with sore throat and infection]

Postanginal septicemia (Lemierre's syndrome) is an infection with anaerobes that ensues from certain oropharyngeal infections: septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein leads to abscess formation in the lungs and possibly in other organs. Based upon a recently observed typical case the syndrome is presented and its possible importance for empirical therapy of tonsillopharyngitis and septicemias involving unknown organisms is briefly discussed.