Tonsillar Tuberculosis: Report of a common infection at a rare location

Tuberculosis is one of the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Primary tuberculosis of tonsils in absence of pulmonary involvement is a rare entity with an incidence of less than 5%. Palatine tonsils are located at a site which is frequently exposed with infected sputum or saliva. Chronic tonsillitis with enlarged tonsils and sore throat are the main clinical presentation. We report a case of primary tuberculosis of tonsils in a 21- year old male who presented with chief complaints of sore throat, difficulity in swallowing, odynophagia and swelling neck since 4 months. Final diagnosis of tonsillar tuberculosis was made on histopathology.