Causes of tonsillitis
Posted on 11/30/2011
Tonsillitis is most commonly caused by a virus, but it can also be caused by bacteria.
Viral tonsillitis
The viruses that cause tonsillitis are often the ones that frequently affect the respiratory system. They include the flu virus, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, enterovirus and rhinovirus.
In rare cases, tonsillitis can be caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, which is the virus that causes glandular fever. If this is the case, you will probably feel very ill. You may have swollen lymph nodes throughout your body and an enlarged spleen.
Bacterial tonsillitis
Bacterial tonsillitis may be caused by a number of different bacteria, but is usually caused by group A streptococcus bacteria. In the past, serious bacterial infections, such as diphtheria and scarlet fever, have caused tonsillitis, but this is now very rare due to vaccination and improved treatment of these diseases.
