ABSTRACT
La tuberculosis cutánea (TBC) representa el 1.5% de todas las formas de TB extrapulmonares. Es una enfermedad proteiforme y su diagnóstico constituye un reto al clínico. La TB verrucosa cutis (TBVC) es una variante clínica paucibacilar, de TBC, donde es infrecuente aislar en medios de cultivos el Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Ocurre en niños previamente sensibilizados e inmunocompetentes que se reinfectan con este bacilo de una fuente exógena, algunas veces de un esputo o secreción de un paciente con TB activa, cuando juega en la tierra. La bacteria penetra a la piel a través de pequeñas abrasiones en zonas expuestas a traumas como lo son rodillas, tobillos o glúteos. La lesión se inicia como un papulonódulo verrucoso asintomático, parecido a una verruga común, que evoluciona a una placa verrucosa . Reportamos 2 casos de TBVC, una niña de 6 años de edad y el segundo, un niño de 10 años de edad ambos de la comarca Guna Yala, un área con alta prevalencia de TB en Panamá. En el segundo caso se logró aislar el M. Tuberculosis en medios de cultivo y demostrarse además por la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR). La respuesta a la terapia antituberculosa fue exitosa, en ambos casos, con completa regresión de las lesiones a los 2 meses de tratamiento
Cutaneous tuberculosis (CTB) comprises 1.5% of all extrapulmonary TB forms. It is a proteiform disease and its diagnosis represents a challenge to the clinician. TB verrucosa cutis (TBVC) a paucibacillary clinical manifestation of CTB, where routine cultures for Mycobacteriun tuberculosis, are commonly negative. Occurs in children previously sentitized with a moderate to high degree of immunity. It represents an exogenous reinfection of M. tuberculosis, sometimes from a contaminated sputum of a patient with active TB, at sites prone to minor abrasions, such as, knees, ankles or buttocks. The lesion begins as a solitary asymptomatic verrucous papulonodule, similar to a common wart, that evolves to a verrucous plaque. The author report 2 cases of TBVC, a 6 year old girl and the second one, a 10 year old boy, both from Guna Yala, an indigenous region, o the coast of Panama, an area with a high prevalence of TB. In the second case, M. tuberculosis was isolated in routine cultures and reported positive in Polimerase chain reaction (PCR). The antituberculous therapy was successfull in both patients, with complete regression of the lesions after 2 months of treatment
Subject(s)
Child , Skin Diseases, Infectious , Tuberculosis, CutaneousABSTRACT
Background: Lymph node involvement in cutaneous tuberculosis is primarily seen in patients with Scrofuloderma. However, patients with lupus vulgaris and TBVC sometimes present with regional lymphadenopathy. Demonstration of organism in skin biopsies by ZN stain and culture is time consuming and often unrewarding when bacillary load is considerably low. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an economical, dependable, quick and cost effective tool for an early diagnosis compared to biopsy studies. Aim: The present study was undertaken to assess the utility of FNAC of lymphnodes in diagnosis of cutaneous tuberculosis. Method: FNAC of affected lymph nodes in Scrofuloderma and lymph nodes draining the lesions in TBVC and lupus vulgaris was carried out followed by skin biopsy in 26 patients of clinically suspected cases of cutaneous tuberculosis. Observations: Smears revealed epithelioid cell granulomas over a necrotic background. AFB could not be demonstrated by ZN stain. Histopathological studies of skin biopsies revealed epithelioid cell granulomas and Langhans’ giant cells. Biopsies were also negative for AFB by ZN stain and culture. All the patients responded well to standard antituberculous regimen. Conclusions: FNAC of lymph nodes in cases of cutaneous tuberculosis is a useful procedure that helps in arriving at diagnosis within a reasonable time frame.