Symptoms
- Sore throat – lasts longer than 48 hours and may be severe
- Red and swollen tonsils which can be visible
- White patches on tonsils
- Difficulty swallowing
- Ear pain
- Stomach pain
- Fever, chills
- Runny nose
- Headache
- Tenderness of the jaw and throat
- Sneezing and coughing
- Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck and jaw usually occurs in bacterial infection
Causes
Tonsillitis is mostly caused by virus and sometimes by bacteria. A common cause is Streptococcus (strep) bacteria. There have also been fungal and parasitic causes of tonsillitis.Tonsil infections may be contagious, and can spread from person to person by contact with the mouth, throat, or mucous of someone who is infected.