Prevalence of <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> in routine adult tonsillectomies

<i>Helicobacter pylori</i>, a curved bacterial rod and causative agent of peptic ulcer and gastric adenocarcinoma, is found as an infectious agent in the stomach of over half of the global population. <i>H. pylori</i> has been identified in oral biofilms and its presence in adenotonsillar tissues has been suggested, with variations in testing methodology both proving and disproving its presence. The current study employed 119 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tonsillar tissues from an adult population (n=86) in a major metropolitan city with immunohistochemistry procedures using a monoclonal antibody to determine the incidence of <i>H. pylori</i> in the tonsils. <i>H. pylori</i> was identified in 72.1% of the patients and was associated with <i>Actinomyces spp</i>. in 92.0% of those cases. The high incidence of <i>H. pylori</i> in patients undergoing tonsillectomy suggests that <i>H. pylori</i> may be a contributing factor for tonsillitis and tonsillar hypertrophy. Furthermore, the reservoir for <i>H. pylori</i> in the tonsils may explain why some persons remain refractory to antibiotic treatment for gastric <i>H. pylori</i>.