Table 3.
Microbial Etiology of Acute Pharyngitis
| Organisms | Clinical Syndrome(s) |
|---|---|
| Bacterial | |
| Group A streptococcus | Pharyngotonsillitis, scarlet fever |
| Group C and group G streptococcus | Pharyngotonsillitis |
| Arcanobacterium haemolyticum | Scarlatiniform rash, pharyngitis |
| Neisseria gonorrhoeae | Tonsillopharyngitis |
| Corynebacterium diphtheriae | Diphtheria |
| Mixed anaerobes | Vincent's angina |
| Fusobacterium necrophorum | Lemierre's syndrome, peritonsillar abscess |
| Francisella tularensis | Tularemia (oropharyngeal) |
| Yersinia pestis | Plague |
| Yersinia enterocolitica | Enterocolitis, pharyngitis |
| Viral | |
| Adenovirus | Pharyngoconjunctival fever |
| Herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 | Gingivostomatitis |
| Coxsackievirus | Herpangina |
| Rhinovirus | Common cold |
| Coronavirus | Common cold |
| Influenza A and B | Influenza |
| Parainfluenza | Cold, croup |
| EBV | Infectious mononucleosis |
| Cytomegalovirus | CMV mononucleosis |
| HIV | Primary acute HIV Infection |
| Mycoplasma | |
| Mycoplasma pneumoniae | Pneumonitis, bronchitis |
| Chlamydia | |
| Chlamydophila pneumoniae | Bronchitis, pneumonia |
| Chlamydophila psittaci | Psittacosis |
Abbreviations: CMV, cytomegalovirus; EBV, Epstein-Barr virus; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus.