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Leptotrix pharyngitis.
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 05.07.2025
Leptotrix pharyngitis is an infectious parasitic disease of the mucous membrane of the pharynx, occurring in the form of acute pharyngitis or tonsillitis with damage to the palatine tonsils.
Causes of leptothrix pharyngitis
It has been noted that leptothrix pharyngitis occurs in weakened and mentally retarded children and persons with impaired digestive functions; this disease is caused by the fungus Leptotrix buccalis. Morphologically, the disease manifests itself by the appearance of multiple white dots on the entire surface of the pharynx, including the base of the tongue, tightly fused with the underlying mucous membrane and protruding above its surface. These white dots are colonies of the parasite that do not cause any unpleasant subjective sensations and do not disrupt the physiological functions of the pharynx and oral cavity.
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Diagnosis of leptothrix pharyngitis
Leptotrix pharyngitis is differentiated primarily from pharyngokeratosis, which has many common external signs with this disease. The difference is that with pharyngokeratosis, dense whitish formations are located only in the mouths of the crypts of the palatine tonsils, while with leptothrix pharyngitis, the pathogens are spread over the entire surface of the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and pharynx. The final diagnosis is established using microscopic examination.
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Treatment of leptothrixosis pharyngitis
Treatment of leptothrix pharyngitis includes the use of antifungal agents (miramistin, isoconazole, miconazole, nystatin, omiconazole, ticonazole, etc.), lubrication of fungal colonies with iodine preparations, and, in particularly stubborn cases, diathermocoagulation.