National UK survey of antibiotics prescribed for acute tonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess

Aim: To survey antibiotics prescribed for patients admitted with acute tonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess to UK ENT departments. Materials and methods: An anonymous postal questionnaire was sent to UK ENT consultants. Results: Intravenous benzylpenicillin alone was preferred significantly more often for acute tonsillitis (n = 175) than for peritonsillar abscess (83) (p < 0.001). A combination of benzylpenicillin and metronidazole was preferred significantly more often for peritonsillar abscess (n = 131) than for tonsillitis (62) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In this survey, penicillin was the commonest antibiotic choice for tonsillitis; this is in accordance with published guidelines. For cases of peritonsillar abscess, benzylpenicillin with metronidazole was the most common antibiotic combination chosen. However, the high resolution rate of peritonsillar abscess following drainage and treatment with penicillin alone suggests that multiple antibiotics are unnecessary and inappropriate in this setting.