Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42547547›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

The microbiological spectrum and clinical course of adolescents and adults with peritonsillar abscesses.

Julia van de Loo, Maya Kurzawa, Alessa Boschert, Louis Jansen, Philipp Wolber, Lisa Nachtsheim, Hans Eckel, Kariem Sharaf, Maria Ziogas, Anne Nobis and 4 more

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Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Julia van de LooDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
Maya KurzawaDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
Alessa BoschertInstitute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Louis JansenDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
Philipp WolberDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
Lisa NachtsheimDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
Hans EckelDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
Kariem SharafDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
Maria ZiogasDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
Anne NobisDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
Charlotte KlasenDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
Malte SuchanDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
Jens Peter KlussmannDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany.
Marcel MayerDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50924, Cologne, Germany. Marcel.mayer@uk-koeln.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A peritonsillar abscess (PTA) displays a purulent infection arising from acute tonsillitis, involving a variety of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Fusobacterium necrophorum, a gram-negative anaerobe, is considered a significant risk factor for complications like Lemierre's syndrome. This study aimed to analyze the microbiological spectrum of PTA and its impact on the clinical course and outcomes. This retrospective study included all patients diagnosed with PTA at a tertiary care center between January 2018 and June 2023. Data on patient demographics, inflammatory markers, microbiological aspects (including species identification and antibiotic therapy), and clinical management were collected. Overall, 321 patients with a mean age of 34.1 years were included. Most patients (80.1%) underwent tonsillectomy, while others received surgical incision and drainage (18.1%) or no surgical treatment (1.9%). Patients with tonsillectomy had a significantly longer hospital stay compared to those with incision and drainage (5.4 ± 2.5 days vs. 4.4 ± 1.3 days; adjusted p = 0.004). Surgical complications were more frequent in patients with tonsillectomy (13.6% vs. 1.7%; adjusted p = 0.048), whereas ipsilateral recurrence was more common in patients with incision and drainage (8.6% vs. 0.0%; adjusted p = 0.004). Higher CRP levels at admission (p = 0.002) were predictive for a higher risk of infection-related complications. Streptococcus pyogenes was the most frequently identified pathogen (25.9%), followed by Streptococci of the anginosus group (15.3%), and Fusobacterium necrophorum (FN; 11.5%), which was significantly more common in adolescents (age < 18 years; 25.3%) than in adult patients (9.5%; adjusted p = 0.020) and had high antibiotic susceptibility rates with 100% to clindamycin and 96.6% to penicillin or aminopenicillin with beta-lactamase inhibitor, the latter being administered to the majority (87.2%) of patients as empiric antibiotic treatment. This study provides insights into the demographic, clinical, and microbiological characteristics of PTAs. Consistent with previous literature, this study shows a higher frequency of FN in PTAs in adolescents and young adults. However, unlike previous reports, this was not associated with increased complication rates.

Indexed as

Peritonsillar AbscessAdolescentAdultAnti-Bacterial AgentsDrainageFemaleFusobacterium InfectionsFusobacterium necrophorumHumansLength of StayMaleRetrospective StudiesTonsillectomyYoung AdultAnti-Bacterial AgentsAntibioticsFusobacterium necrophorumLemierre’s syndromeMicrobiologyPathogenicityPeritonsillar abscessTreatment strategies

Identifiers

PMID42547547
PMCPMC13434115

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.