Sore throat with normal oropharyngeal examination

A 30-year-old healthy female presented with a two-day history of fever and severe throat pain. She reported dysphagia and odynophagia but denied dyspnea, trismus, or sialorrhea. Amoxicillin and clarithromycin had been prescribed by her primary physician but did not relieve her symptoms. Her school-age children had complained of similar symptoms, which resolved spontaneously several days before her presentation. Her past medical history included palatine tonsillectomy nine years previously.