An acute inflammation of the pharynx is called “pharyngitis”. This is either produced by a viral or bacterial infection. There may just be painful swallowing and a sore throat, but there may be a membrane in the back of the throat and lymph node swelling underneath the chin. The physician may want to take a throat culture as it can be difficult to know whether this clinical entity is due to a virus or bacterium.
The organisms isolated can be group A Streptococcus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae and on occasion even gonorrhea.
Treatment
This consists initially of penicillin V 250 mg four times daily for 10 days until the culture report comes back. This way rheumatic fever from group A Streptococcus can be avoided.
The final culture report may sway the physician to change the therapy according to the sensitivity testing (Ref. 4).
Pharyngitis
References:
1. The Merck Manual: Bacterial Tracheitis (thanks to www.merckmanuals.com for this link)
2. TC Dixon et al. N Engl J Med 1999 Sep 9;341(11):815-826.
3. F Charatan BMJ 2000 Oct 21;321(7267):980.
4. The Merck Manual, 7th edition, by M. H. Beers et al., Whitehouse Station, N.J., 1999. Chapter 43.
5. JR Zunt and CM Marra Neurol Clinics Vol.17, No.4,1999: 675-689.
6. The Merck Manual, 7th edition, by M. H. Beers et al., Whitehouse Station, N.J., 1999. Chapter 162.
7. LE Chapman : Antivir Ther 1999; 4(4): 211-19.
8. HW Cho: Vaccine 1999 Jun 4; 17(20-21): 2569-2575.
9. DO Freedman et al. Med Clinics N. Amer. Vol.83, No 4 (July 1999): 865-883.
10. SP Fisher-Hoch et al. J Virol 2000 Aug; 74(15): 6777-6783.
11. Mandell: Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, 5th ed., © 2000 Churchill Livingstone, Inc.
12. Goldman: Cecil Textbook of Medicine, 21st ed., Copyright © 2000 W. B. Saunders Company
13. PE Sax: Infect DisClinics of N America Vol.15, No 2 (June 2001): 433-455.
14. David Heymann, MD, Editor: Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, 18th Edition, 2004, American Public Health Association.
