Summary
Tonsil swabs were collected from 248 children (1 through 10 yr) who presented with acute tonsillitis. A β-hemolytic streptococcus was grown from 129 (53%) of 244 cases and as the sole pathogen from 83 (47%) of 178 cases. β-hemolytic streptococci were especially common over the age of 6 yr (68% of children) relatively uncommon under the age of 4 yr (18%); most (90%) streptococci belonged to group A; 18 streptococcal T types were represented amongst 88 group A strains; the potentially nephritogenic serotypes 4 and 12 were prominent and accounted for 42 (47%) of typable isolates. Eight (8%) of 96 unmatched children (1 through 10 yr) who served as controls were found to be carrying /3-hemolytic streptococci, 5 of which belonged to group A.
A virus was grown from 52 (29%) of 182 children and as the sole pathogen from 40 (22%) of 178 children. Only echoviruses (8 serotypes) and adenoviruses (5 serotypes) were common; younger children showed a higher isolation rate of viruses. The clinical picture in children yielding a virus was indistinguishable from that of cases who yielded a β-hemolytic streptococcus.