Incidence of cutaneous tuberculosis in patients with organ tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis continues to be a health problem in some countries. The development of resistance to antituberculitic drugs and the increase in diseases and conditions associated with immunodeficiency such as AIDS and chemotherapy have caused tuberculosis to increase recently. As a result, the incidence of cutaneous tuberculosis has been increasing as well. AIM: To detect cutaneous tuberculosis in patients with organ tuberculosis and to establish some characteristics of the relation between organ and cutaneous TB. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 370 patients (145 females and 225 males), aged 2-76 years (mean age 27.5), enrolled for this screening study. These patients were hospitalized patients who already had pulmonary or extrapulmonary tuberculosis diagnosed before admission. All patients underwent a general skin examination, and, if needed, cutaneous biopsies were taken from involved skin areas. RESULTS: Three hundred and forty-seven (93.78%) out of 370 patients had pulmonary tuberculosis only or in association with one of other organ tuberculoses. Twenty-three patients had extrapulmonary TB: nine were TB adenitis, six were TB peritonitis, three were bone tuberculosis, and five were TB meningitides. Of 370 patients, only 13 (3.51%) had cutaneous TB: seven scrofuloderma (SCD; 2.16%), four lupus vulgaris (LV; 1.35%), one LV and SCD, and one Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) adenitis (0.027%). Cutaneous tuberculosis was observed in seven out of 260 patients with parenchymal tuberculosis (2.96%). Four out of nine patients with TB adenitis (44.4%), one out of 12 pulmopleuretic (8.3%), and one out of 67 pleuresic patients (1.40%) had cutaneous TB as well. Mean age of the 13 patients was 32.46 years: mean age of SCD and LV was 24.8 and 48 years, respectively. The one patient with BCG adenitis was 7 months old. Five (62.5%) out of eight patients with SCD, and only one (20%) out of five patients with LV were new cases. Four patients with SCD had a positive family history, while LV patients did not. CONCLUSIONS: Organ tuberculosis is rarely associated with cutaneous tuberculosis. Scrofuloderma and LV are the most frequent forms of skin TB associated with organ TB in this population. Tuberculosis adenitis is the organ TB that causes cutaneous TB most often among other organ tuberculoses. More than one form of cutaneous TB affected only one patient with pulmonary TB; therefore, it is very rare. Tuberculids were not observed in any of the patients.     

结核感染T细胞检测在结核感染相关皮肤病的应用价值

结核病常用的实验室检测方法,包括抗酸染色涂片镜检、组织分离培养、组织病理、PCR检测等.结核感染T细胞检测是实验室检测结核病较新的辅助手段,属γ干扰素释放试验的一种,现已被越来越广泛地应用于临床.回顾结核感染T细胞检测的原理、特性及结核感染T细胞检测在诊断皮肤结核、探讨与结核感染相关的皮肤病的发病机制、药物治疗前评估潜伏结核激活的风险等方面的应用价值.     

Management of cutaneous tuberculosis

ABSTRACT:   Cutaneous tuberculosis (TB) is an extrapulmonary form of tuberculosis, which may be classified based on the immunologic state of the host. Chemotherapy still remains the treatment of choice. The management of cutaneous TB follows the same guidelines as that of TB of other organs, which can be treated with a short course four-agent chemotherapeutic regimen given for 2 months followed by a two-drug regimen for the next 4 months. This chapter highlights current treatment recommendations for cutaneous TB. The important factors to consider in the choice of optimal treatment includes the type of cutaneous involvement, stage of the disease, level of immunity, and general condition of the patient. The highest priority in any cutaneous TB control program is the proper, accurate, and rapid detection of cases and the availability of chemotherapy to all tuberculosis patients until cure. Contact tracing is also an important component of efficient tuberculosis control.     

Lupus vulgaris diagnosed after 37 years: a case of delayed diagnosis

Lupus vulgaris is the most common chronic, progressive form of cutaneous tuberculosis. Lesions are generally solitary and found on the head and neck region. Cutaneous tuberculosis can present with different clinical appearances. Therefore, it does not necessarily have characteristic findings and can be difficult to diagnose. Although there were typical clinical findings, the diagnosis of our case was delayed because of its asymptomatic course.     

Symmetrically distributed orange eruption on the ears: a case of lupus vulgaris

Although the incidence and morbidity of tuberculosis (TB) have declined in the latter half of the last decade in the United States, the number of cases of TB (especially cutaneous TB) among those born outside of the United States has increased. This discrepancy can be explained, in part, by the fact that cutaneous TB can have a long latency period in those individuals with a high degree of immunity against the organism. In this report, we describe an individual from a region where there is a relatively high prevalence of tuberculosis who developed lupus vulgaris of the ears many years after arrival to the United States.     

Relevant diagnostic implications of the therapeutic challenge with antitubercular therapy in an unusual case of sarcoidosis mimicking lupus vulgaris

Cutaneous manifestations in sarcoidosis are seen in 25–35% of patients with systemic disease and may be the sole manifestation in few patients. It is known that isolated cutaneous sarcoidosis is a great mimicker and can be easily misdiagnosed as other granulomatous conditions especially lupus vulgaris in regions with high burden of tuberculosis (TB). Here we present a case with cutaneous sarcoidosis who was initially misdiagnosed and treated as bifocal lupus vulgaris with antitubercular therapy (ATT) for 6 months. This nonresponsiveness to therapy prompted us to investigate the patient further for other differentials, failing which a diagnosis of cutaneous sarcoidosis was made and the patient was treated with oral steroids and methotrexate with complete clearance of lesions after 14 weeks of therapy. Our case reemphasizes the value of therapeutic trial of ATT in diagnosis of cutaneous TB and highlights the remarkable clinical mimic of sarcoidosis with lupus vulgaris.     

A clinicoepidemiological study of 50 cases of cutaneous tuberculosis in a tertiary care teaching hospital in pokhara, Nepal

Background:

Cutaneous tuberculosis (TB) is essentially an invasion of the skin by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the same bacteria that causes pulmonary tuberculosis.

Aim:

This study was conducted to study the common types of cutaneous TB and to find the management pattern in a tertiary teaching hospital in Pokhara, Nepal.

Materials and Methods:

All the cases of cutaneous TB were biopsied and furthermore investigated by performing Mantoux test, sputum examination, fine needle aspiration cytology, chest X-ray and ELISA.

Results:

In this study, we found that tuberculosis verrucous cutis (48%) had a higher incidence than other types of cutaneous TB. More males were affected than were females (1.2:1). Commonly affected sites were the limb and the buttock (48%). The most commonly affected age group was 16–25 years (40%). All cases (except two) were more than 15 mm in size in the Mantoux test. The histopathological picture was typical in all except three cases. All patients were treated with antitubercular treatment as per the national guidelines.

Conclusion:

The most common type of cutaneous TB was tuberculosis verrucous cutis and the most commonly affected sites were the limb and the buttock. As cutaneous TB sometimes reflects the presence of pulmonary tuberculosis, its incidence should not be ignored.     

Evolution of cutaneous tuberculosis over the past 30 years in a tertiary hospital on the European Mediterranean coast

Background. There have been few studies on cutaneous tuberculosis (TB) in Europe in recent years. Objective. To retrospectively analyse the evolution of the various types of cutaneous TB over the past 30 years in an adult population in Spain. Methods. Patients with cutaneous TB diagnosed between 1981 and 2011 at Bellvitge Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, were included in the study. Chest radiography was performed for all patients, and the presence of TB elsewhere in the body was excluded when clinically suspected. Results. In total, 36 patients (15 male, 21 female, mean age 53.72 years) were diagnosed with cutaneous TB. There were 22 patients with lupus vulgaris (LV), 4 with scrofuloderma, 4 with miliary TB, 3 with tuberculous abscess/ulcer, and 1 each with orificial TB, warty TB, and an iatrogenic inoculation from underlying visceral focus. Of the 36 patients, 16 (38.88%) had TB presenting simultaneously in other organs. Mycobacterial culture from skin biopsies was positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in 17 of the 32 cases tested (53.12%), whereas stains for acid‐fast bacilli in skin samples were positive in only 3 of 36 patients (8.33%). Conclusions. Although the number of cases of cutaneous TB diagnosed yearly in our population has declined over the past 30 years, cutaneous TB still exists in Europe, and its incidence is expected to increase, owing to the increased immigration into the continent in recent years. The most common type of cutaneous TB in our adult population was LV. It should be noted that despite being considered a benign form of TB, cutaneous TB can be accompanied by TB in internal organs, and severe complications can occur, such as the development of squamous cell carcinoma in long‐lasting lesions.     

Disseminated Lupus Vulgaris Presenting as Granulomatous Folliculitis

A 69-year-old man presented with a 3-year history of scattered, grouped, asymptomatic follicular papules, pustules, and nodules tending toward coalescence into large geographic aggregates. Repeated cutaneous biopsy specimens showed granulomatous folliculitis with negative Ziehl-Neelsen stains. Finally, biopsy material submitted for mycobacterial culture grew Mycobacterium tuberculosis. No evidence of active systemic tuberculosis was found. The patient had a very rare form of tuberculosis, disseminated lupus vulgaris, presenting with granulomatous folliculitis, which is usually not seen in lupus vulgaris. The lesions resolved after an 18-month course of isoniazid and rifampin. The unusual clinical and histologic presentation as well as occasional partial remissions following a variety of nonspecific empiric therapies delayed diagnosis despite multiple evaluations. This case illustrates the importance of obtaining mycobacterial cultures from skin biopsy specimens in addition to special stains whenever cutaneous tuberculosis is suspected.     

Cutaneous tuberculosis

Cutaneous tuberculosis continues to be one of the most elusive and more difficult diagnoses to make for dermatologists practicing in developing countries. Not only because they have to consider a wider differential diagnosis (leishmaniasis, leprosy, actinomycosis, deep fungal infections, etc) but also because of the difficulty in obtaining a microbiological confirmation. Despite all the advances in microbiology, including sophisticated techniques such as polymerase chain reaction, the sensitivity of new methods are no better than the gold standard, that is, the isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosum in culture. Even now, in the 21st century, we rely on methods as old as the intradermal reaction purified protein derivative (PPD) standard test and therapeutic trials, as diagnostic tools. In this situation, it is important to recognize the many clinical faces of cutaneous tuberculosis to prevent missed or delayed diagnoses.     

How useful is the Mantoux test in the diagnosis of doubtful cases of cutaneous tuberculosis?

Background Diagnostic tests are critical to management when the clinical picture is unclear. We analyzed the records of patients in whom the initial diagnosis of cutaneous tuberculosis was doubtful to evaluate the utility of the Mantoux test in this setting. Materials and methods Of 375 patients with cutaneous tuberculosis seen in our department, the initial clinical diagnosis was doubtful in 90 patients. A Mantoux test was performed with 5 TU of purified protein derivative using standard techniques and read after two days. Patients also underwent skin biopsy and other laboratory tests and received treatment with antitubercular drugs. Patients who had case notes recording satisfactory improvement following antitubercular therapy were classified as having cutaneous tuberculosis; those with evidence of another diagnosis based on the laboratory tests and response to therapy were categorized as non‐tuberculosis cases. Patients with inadequate evidence for a diagnosis of either cutaneous tuberculosis or another disorder were classified as unresolved diagnosis. Results Readings were available in 79 patients: 39 were categorized as tuberculosis; 16 as non‐tuberculosis; while a final diagnosis could not be reached in 24 cases. Readings ranged from 0 to 40 mm in the cases and from 0 to 30 mm in non‐cases. The area under the receiver‐operating characteristic curve was 0.66 (95% CI 0.55–0.81). Using a cut‐off of 10 mm, the sensitivity and specificity of the tests were 58.97 and 62.50%, respectively. Conclusion The Mantoux test is of low accuracy in the diagnosis of doubtful cases of cutaneous tuberculosis.     

Cutaneous tuberculosis in children and adolescents: a clinicohistological study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Resurgence of tuberculosis (TB) in the era of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has rejuvenated the interest in this global health problem. Cutaneous TB, an important extra-pulmonary form in children, is commonly seen in our dermatological practice. As detection of acid-fast bacillus (AFB) on smear or culture is not always positive, histopathology is necessary to help in diagnosing and classifying the variants of skin TB. The current study was conducted to analyse the clinicopathological characteristics of cutaneous TB in children and adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study included 103 patients (age<19 years). A detailed history and clinical examination was followed by complete investigative work up including fine needle aspiration cytology and culture. Histopathological evaluation was performed specifically noting the epidermal and dermal features. The patients were followed up regularly for one year after the start of treatment. RESULTS: The different patterns of cutaneous TB seen were, scrofuloderma 38 (36.9%), lichen scrofulosorum 34 (33%), lupus vulgaris 22 (21.3%), TB verrucosa cutis 4 (3.9%), papulonecrotic tuberculid 4 (3.9%) and erythema nodosum 3 (2.9%). Systemic associations were seen in 55 (53.4%) patients, namely TB lymphadenitis in 30 (29.2%), pulmonary TB in 13 (12.6%), abdominal TB in 6 (5.8%) and TB arthritis in 6 (5.8%). The histopathological corroboration of clinical diagnosis was seen in 65.7% of cases of scrofulodermas, 72.7% of cases of lupus vulgaris and 67.6% of cases of lichen scrofulosorum. CONCLUSIONS: A large spectrum of clinical patterns and histological characteristics of cutaneous TB exists in children. Lichen scrofulosorum is more commonly seen in comparison to adults. Systemic involvement was a feature in a major proportion of our patients.     

Cutaneous tuberculosis: diagnosis and treatment

As we move into the 21st century, cutaneous tuberculosis has re-emerged in areas with a high incidence of HIV infection and multi-drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, and the BCG vaccine cause tuberculosis involving the skin. True cutaneous tuberculosis lesions can be acquired either exogenously or endogenously, show a wide spectrum of morphology and M. tuberculosis can be diagnosed by acid-fast bacilli (AFB) stains, culture or polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These lesions include tuberculous chancre, tuberculosis verrucosa cutis, lupus vulgaris, scrofuloderma, orificial tuberculosis, miliary tuberculosis, metastatic tuberculosis abscess and most cases of papulonecrotic tuberculid. The tuberculids, like cutaneous tuberculosis, show a wide spectrum of morphology but M. tuberculosis is not identified by AFB stains, culture or PCR. These lesions include lichen scrofulosorum, nodular tuberculid, most cases of nodular granulomatous phlebitis, most cases of erythema induratum of Bazin and some cases of papulonecrotic tuberculid. Diagnosis of cutaneous tuberculosis is challenging and requires the correlation of clinical findings with diagnostic testing; in addition to traditional AFB smears and cultures, there has been increased utilization of PCR because of its rapidity, sensitivity and specificity. Since most cases of cutaneous tuberculosis are a manifestation of systemic involvement, and the bacillary load in cutaneous tuberculosis is usually less than in pulmonary tuberculosis, treatment regimens are similar to that of tuberculosis in general. In the immunocompromised, such as an HIV infected patient with disseminated miliary tuberculosis, rapid diagnosis and prompt initiation of treatment are paramount. Unfortunately, despite even the most aggressive efforts, the prognosis in these individuals is poor when multi-drug resistant mycobacterium are present. An increased awareness of the re-emergence of cutaneous tuberculosis will allow for the proper diagnosis and management of this increasingly common skin disorder.     

皮肤结核的实验室检查

皮肤结核的临床表现缺乏特异性,传统的检查方法操作复杂、耗时长、敏感性和特异性差,容易造成漏疹和误诊.近年来,皮肤结核实验室检查有了新的进展,其中以PCR为基础的核酸扩增技术及环介导等温扩增法,能够快速、特异、敏感地进行分子诊断.酶联免疫斑点技术可代替纯化蛋白衍生物试验,为早期诊断结核潜伏感染提供新的方向.针吸细胞学检查结合抗酸染色或免疫组化能早期诊断并减少活检带来的创伤.BACTEC技术可以对分枝杆菌进行快速自动化分析和药敏试验.这些新的检测技术极大地提高皮肤结核的诊断水平.     

Lupus vulgaris: Difficulties in diagnosis

Lupus vulgaris is one of the most common forms of cutaneous tuberculosis. It presents a diagnostic challenge due to its paucibacillary nature. This is a report of a case of a delayed diagnosis of lupus vulgaris, presenting as perianal and peristomal plaques, followed by a review of the diagnostic tools for lupus vulgaris and their limitations.     

结核相关性脂膜炎临床及组织病理分析

目的分析结核相关性脂膜炎的临床及组织病理特点,探讨结核感染与脂膜炎发病的关系。方法回顾性分析我科2011年1月—2013年8月252例组织病理明确诊断为脂膜炎的患者临床及组织病理资料,并根据结核菌素皮试(TST)结果及其阳性反应级别分为PPD阴性组及PPD阳性组,其中PPD阳性组又分为PPD 1+、PPD 2+、PPD 3+3组。再根据T-SPOT.TB结果分为T-SPOT.TB阴性组及T-SPOT.TB阳性组,对比分析各组间患者临床及组织病理特点。结果 PPD阳性组与PPD阴性组患者组织病理改变在表皮、脂肪层受累、炎性浸润细胞类型、有无上皮样肉芽肿方面对比差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);不同PPD阳性级别组患者的组织病理特点差异无统计学意义(P0.05);T-SPOT.TB阴性组与阳性组患者组织病理改变差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论皮肤脂膜炎的发病与结核感染密切相关,PPD检测阳性及皮损组织病理中出现脂肪层以小叶受累或混合型炎症、以上皮样和(或)多核巨细胞浸润为主以及上皮样肉芽肿是脂膜炎与结核感染相关的线索。     

Comparison of the radiometric BACTEC 460 TB culture system and Löwenstein-Jensen medium for the isolation of mycobacteria in cutaneous tuberculosis and their drug susceptibility pattern

Background Mycobacterial isolation from cutaneous tuberculosis on Löwenstein–Jensen (L–J) medium has been reported to be low. The radiometric BACTEC 460 TB culture system (BACTEC system) has shown better isolation rates in pulmonary tuberculosis. There has been a progressive increase in the prevalence of multidrug resistance in pulmonary tuberculosis, but similar studies are lacking for cutaneous tuberculosis. Therefore, this study was undertaken to compare mycobacterial isolation on conventional L–J medium vs. the BACTEC system, and to determine the prevalence of multidrug resistance in cutaneous tuberculosis. Methods Thirty‐five untreated, clinically diagnosed, and histopathologically documented patients with cutaneous tuberculosis constituted the study material. Lesional skin biopsy specimens were cultured on both L–J medium and the BACTEC system. The isolates obtained were identified and subjected to sensitivity to rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol, and streptomycin using the BACTEC system. Results Twenty‐six mycobacterial isolates were recovered from 35 patients. Nine isolates (25.7%) grew on L–J medium after a mean period of 31.5 days, and 22 (62.8%) on the BACTEC system in 17.3 days. All of the isolates were identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Drug susceptibility testing demonstrated 12 isolates to be resistant, seven multidrug resistant. Discussion The BACTEC system demonstrated an improved mycobacterial isolation rate and substantially reduced detection time when compared with L–J medium. The combined isolation rate on both media was 74.3% (26/35), greater than that of either used separately. Drug resistance was observed in 46.2% of isolates. Conclusion Radiometric liquid culture medium together with conventional L–J medium may be recommended in practice to enable the institution of appropriate antituberculous therapy modifications in drug‐resistant cases of cutaneous tuberculosis.     

How soon does cutaneous tuberculosis respond to treatment? Implications for a therapeutic test of diagnosis

BACKGROUND: It is difficult to demonstrate Mycobacterium tuberculosis in smears or biopsies and to grow it in culture in cutaneous tuberculosis because most cases are paucibacillary. A therapeutic trial of antitubercular drugs is frequently used to confirm the diagnosis in difficult cases. Information is lacking on the response to antitubercular therapy in cutaneous tuberculosis; consequently there are no clear guidelines on when to expect a response and also when to abandon a therapeutic trial. METHODS: We studied the records of 60 patients treated for cutaneous tuberculosis at our hospital to study the time course of the therapeutic response. All patients were treated with a short-course antitubercular regimen consisting of isoniazid 300 mg daily, rifampicin 450 mg daily, ethambutol 800 mg daily and pyrazinamide 1500 mg daily for 2 months followed by isoniazid and rifampicin in the same doses for 4 months. At follow-up visits, each patient was assessed by a dermatologist who recorded the presence or absence of clinical improvement in the skin lesions. RESULTS: Of the 60 patients seen, eight patients did not follow up after the initial consultation, 48 patients improved with treatment and four patients were classified as treatment failures. The timing of the first visit varied from 3 days to 15 months (median 27.5 days, mean 58.96 +/- 94.50) after initiation of treatment. Twenty-one patients were recorded to have improved within the first month of therapy. Twenty-seven patients who first reported more than 30 days after initiation of treatment were found to have improved. Four patients failed to respond during follow up ranging from 3 to 17 months. CONCLUSION: When a therapeutic trial is undertaken in cutaneous tuberculosis, 6 weeks of therapy with four drugs appears adequate to prove (or disprove) the diagnosis.     

Perianal ulceration in a "healthy" Chinese man with disseminated tuberculosis

Orificial tuberculosis (OTB) is a rare form of cutaneous Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection affecting the mucosa and skin around orifices in patients with advanced internal tuberculosis and poor general health. We report a 72-year-old Chinese man who had a 10-year history of OTB with disseminated tuberculosis infection of the lungs and urinary tract. He appeared surprisingly healthy and had been free from systemic symptoms all along despite widespread tuberculosis. The diagnosis of OTB was established by the microscopic presence of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) in the tissue section and was rapidly confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to be Mycobacterium tuberculosis. PCR shortens the time of diagnosing rare presentations of cutaneous tuberculosis and prevents delays in treatment. Conventional culture is still important in confirming the diagnosis and screening for drug resistance.     

Tspot.TB在艾滋病合并潜伏结核感染的诊断中的应用

目的评价结核感染T细胞斑点试验(T-spot.TB)在艾滋病(AIDS)人群中诊断潜伏结核感染的应用价值,了解AIDS患者中潜伏结核感染情况。方法应用T-spot.TB试剂盒对120例AIDS患者的外周血液标本进行检测,并同时进行结核菌素纯蛋白衍生物(PPD)试验。结果在总体AIDS患者、CD4^+T淋巴细胞计数水平(简称CD4细胞)<200个/μL和≥200个/μL组中,T-spot.TB阳性率为30.8%、32.7%和27.3%,PPD检测阳性率分别为13.3%、9.2%和20.5%。同时,进一步分析发现T-spot.TB检测率与患者免疫状态无关。结论T-spot.TB检测AIDS合并潜伏结核感染阳性率高于PPD试验,T-spot.TB检测对AIDS患者中潜伏结核感染的诊断有较大的应用价值。