The present study is undertaken on 50 tonsillectomy cases to determine the correlation between surface culture swabs and tonsillar core. Tonsillar disease may stem from the bacteria within the core of the tonsil, rather than the bacteria identified on its surface. Also no consistent pattern of combinations of different pathogenic bacteria was noted. The study proves that surface culture does not reliably predict core pathogens.
Keywords: Core pathogens; surface culture; tonsillectomy.