Any germ that causes an illness in your mouth, throat or nose can travel to your ear and cause an

 

 

 

 

 

infection
You get an infection when viruses, bacteria, fungi or other tiny organisms get into your body. These bugs are so tiny that you can't see them without a microscope. For example, an infection in your airways causes the common cold. And an infection in your skin can cause rashes such as athlete's foot.

 

 

 

 

 

infection there as well.

The most common types of germs are

 

 

 

 

 

bacteria
Bacteria are tiny organisms. There are lots of different types. Some are harmful and can cause disease. But some bacteria live in your body without causing any harm.

 

 

 

 

 

bacteria and

 

 

 

 

 

viruses
Viruses are microbes (tiny organisms) that need the cells of humans or other animals to exist. They use the machinery of cells to reproduce. Then they spread to other cells in the body.

 

 

 

 

 

viruses. These are tiny organisms that can get into your body, grow in there and make you ill.

Here are some of the illnesses that can start in your mouth or throat and spread to your ear.

Colds are caused by viruses. There are more than 200 different cold viruses. Each virus can give you a cold only once. After that, your body is resistant to it. This means your body will fight the virus before it can make you sick.

Many children get colds all the time because their bodies haven't run into many viruses. So each time a cold's going around, they seem to get it. As you get older, you tend not to get so many colds. That's because you've had many of them before, so you're resistant to those viruses.

You often get a sore throat when you have certain infections. For example, if you've got a cold or flu, soreness in the back of your throat is usually one of the first symptoms. Sore throats can also be caused by bacteria. For example, strep throat is caused by a type of bacteria called

 

 

 

 

 

streptococcus
Streptococcus is a type of bacteria that most often causes problems in your mouth or lungs.

 

 

 

 

 

Streptococcus.

Flu (short for influenza) is caused by a virus.

If your tonsils get infected by a virus or bacteria, you can get tonsillitis (

 

 

 

 

 

inflammation
If your skin or some other part of your body becomes red, swollen, hot or sore, we say it is inflamed. It means that your body is trying to protect you from germs, from something in your body tissues that can hurt you (like a thorn or sliver), or from things that cause allergies (allergens). Inflammation is part of the way the body heals an infection or injury.

 

 

 

 

 

inflammation of your tonsils). Your throat gets very sore, and you may have trouble swallowing. You may also have a

 

 

 

 

 

fever
If you have a fever, your body temperature is above 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). With a fever you often get other symptoms, such as shivering, headache or sweating. A fever is usually caused by an infection.

 

 

 

 

 

fever, a headache and body aches. Children tend to get tonsillitis more than adults do.

Croup causes a cough in young children that sounds like barking. This illness often develops from the same viruses or bacteria that cause colds or sore throats. Young children get it because their throats are narrower than adults' throats. This means their throats get blocked more easily when there's swelling in this area. This causes the barking sound when the child coughs.

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