Tonsillitis, conceptual illustration 插畫檔

Conceptual illustration of tonsillitis. Tonsillitis is an infection of the throat that may be caused by viruses or bacteria. It can cause flecked tonsils with infected yellow patches. Tonsils are oval-shaped masses of spongy lymphoid tissue on either side of the back of the mouth. They help the body respond to infection, producing antibodies for the immune system and trapping and destroying micro-organisms that enter the throat. Tonsillitis causes a sore throat, fever and difficulty with swallowing. If caused by a bacterium treatment involves a course of antibiotic drugs. If it is recurrent and severe, then the tonsils may need to be surgically removed (tonsillectomy)