Cutaneous tuberculosis: epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic update

Abstract Tuberculosis is certainly one of the diseases considered to be ancient on planet Earth. The etiological agent of tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This terrible bacterial infection still results in severe socioeconomic consequences to date, and its complete eradication represents a great challenge. It constitutes one of the most important public health problems in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, this infection results in more than 4,000 deaths daily worldwide, with 10.4 million being affected annually and 1.5 million deaths from TB every year. With the emergence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the disease became the main cause of morbidity and mortality in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Cutaneous tuberculosis is a rare infection that represents 1% to 1.5% of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, whose etiological agents are Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, and the attenuated form of the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG vaccine). Cutaneous tuberculosis can be exogenous; endogenous: caused by contiguity or autoinoculation and by hematogenous spread; induced by the Calmette-Guérin bacillus and manifest as a tuberculid. The diagnosis of the infection is carried out through the direct test, culture, histopathology, tuberculin skin test, polymerase chain reaction, interferon-gamma release assay, and genotyping. Drugs used comprise isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol.x

Jorge Lobo's disease with malignant degeneration to squamous cell carcinoma: case report

Abstract Jorge Lobo's disease (JLD) is a chronic, granulomatous fungal infection caused by the traumatic implantation of the fungus Lacazia loboi in the cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues, with the presence of isolated nodular and coalescent keloidal lesions. Malignant degeneration is rare. This case report describes a 64-year-old male patient with JLD for 30-years who showed a change in the aspect of a lesion in the left lower limb. Histopathological examination confirmed the progression to well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SSC). JLD is highly prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, requiring monitoring concerning the transformation into SSC in long-term lesions.

Cutaneous metastasis of colorectal cancer

Abstract: Cutaneous metastases from internal malignant neoplasms are a rare event and a late clinical finding that is associated with disseminated disease and a poor prognosis. Skin metastases from colon tumors occur in only 4% of cases of metastatic colorectal cancer. They are most often located on the abdominal skin. We report a case of 54-year-old male patient with a cutaneous metastatic focus on the lower abdomen as the initial presenting symptom of an underlying colon cancer.

Chromoblastomycosis: an etiological, epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, and treatment update

Abstract: Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic, granulomatous, suppurative mycosis of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by traumatic inoculation of dematiaceous fungi of the family Herpotrichiellaceae. The species Fonsecaea pedrosoi and Cladophialophora carrionii are prevalent in regions where the disease is endemic. Chromoblastomycosis lesions are polymorphous: verrucous, nodular, tumoral, plaque-like, and atrophic. It is an occupational disease that predominates in tropical and subtropical regions, but there have been several reports of cases in temperate regions. The disease mainly affects current or former farm workers, mostly males, and often leaving disabling sequelae. This mycosis is still a therapeutic challenge due to frequent recurrence of lesions. Patients with extensive lesions require a combination of pharmacological and physical therapies. The article provides an update of epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic features.

Primary cutaneous follicle center lymphoma

Abstract: Cutaneous lymphomas are classified according to their cellular origin into T-cell lymphoma and B-cell lymphoma. The annual incidence rate is 0.3 per 100,000 population. We report a case of a 56-year-old male patient who presented with a two-month history of nodules of varying sizes, some ulcerated, on the face, abdomen, and upper limbs. Histopathological examination and immunohistochemical study confirmed the diagnosis of primary cutaneous centrofollicular lymphoma. Studies have shown an increased incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphomas in the last decade. We report an infrequent case that should be kept as a differential diagnosis of patients with nodules and cutaneous papules.

Pencil-core granuloma

Abstract: Pencil core granulomas are still infrequently reported in the literature. A 67-year-old woman presented with a 4mm hard blue subcutaneous nodule on the forehead. She remembered being injured with a pencil tip about 60 years before. The subcutaneous nodule was excised, which microscopically revealed a foreign body reaction with histiocytes containing fragmented coarse black particles. We diagnosed pencil-core granuloma based on the patient's history of pencil tip injury and histological examination findings.

Nodular tertiary syphilis in an immunocompetent patient

Abstract: Acquired syphilis can be divided into primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary stages. About 25% of patients with untreated primary syphilis will develop late signs that generally occur after three to five years, with involvement of several organs. The authors present an immunocompetent female who developed a tertiary stage syphilis presenting with long-standing nodular plaques.

Cutaneous neonatal herpes simplex virus infection type 2: a case report

Abstract Neonatal herpes is a serious condition. Newborns can be contaminated in utero via transplacental hematogenic transmission, upon delivery (the most frequent route), or during the postnatal period (indirect transmission). Optimal management requires prompt and accurate recognition, particularly in newborns, in order to prevent complications. Acyclovir is the treatment of choice, but its implementation is often delayed while awaiting test results, such as PCR and serology. Cytology for diagnostic purposes is rarely used in dermatology, despite the quick and reliable results. We report a case of neonatal herpes caused by type 2 herpes simplex virus diagnosed by cytology.

Syringocystadenoma papilliferum in an unusual location

Abstract: Syringocystadenoma papilliferum is a rare benign hamartomatous adnexal tumor of the apocrine or eccrine sweat glands. Most patients present a solitary lesion in the head and neck region. Presentation outside the head and neck region is even more uncommon. We present a case of Syringocystadenoma papilliferum with papulonodular lesion located on the vulva of an infant girl. This case illustrates the atypical location of this rare disease and adds to the differential diagnosis of lesions on the vulva.

A case of secondary syphilis mimicking palmoplantar psoriasis in HIV infected patient

Due to diverse clinical and histopathological presentations, diagnosis of secondary syphilis can occasionally prove challenging. Variable clinical presentations of secondary syphilis in HIV disease may result in an incorrect diagnosis and an inappropriate treatment regimen. Similarly, the histology of secondary syphilitic lesions may show considerable variation, depending on the clinical morphology of the eruption. We report a case of secondary syphilis in an HIV infected patient with cutaneous palmoplantar lesions simulating palmoplantar psoriasis.

Stewart-Treves Syndrome of the Lower Extremity

Stewart-Treves syndrome is a rare cutaneous angiosarcoma that develops in long-standing chronic lymphedema. Though most commonly this angiosarcoma is a result of post mastectomy lymphoedema, it also develops in Milroy disease, idiopathic, congenital, traumatic and filarial lymphoedema. Despite the rarity of this syndrome and its poor prognosis, early diagnosis associated with radical surgery can provide improved survival. We report a case of angiosarcoma in the lower limb in a patient with chronic lymphedema associated with history of repeated erysipela episodes.

Cutaneous metastasis of a breast cancer diagnosed 13 years before

Metastasis is defined as a neoplastic lesion originating from another primary tumor, with which it is no longer in contact. Cutaneous metastases result from lymphatic embolization, hematogenous or contiguous dissemination or also direct implantation during surgical procedures. In women, the tumor most likely to metastasize to skin is breast cancer, which may manifest as papulonodular neoplastic lesions. We report the case of a 66 years old female patient, presenting papulonodular lesions13 years after the initial treatment with surgery and chemotherapy for a cancer of the left breast.

A case of generalized ostraceous psoriasis mimicking dermatitis neglecta

Lithium has been implicated in the exacerbation of pre-existing psoriasis, in the induction of psoriasis on previously uninvolved skin of psoriasis patients, and in the triggering of psoriasis for the first time in patients without a personal or family history. Lithium-induced psoriasis (and its resistance to treatment) is one of the major reasons for noncompliance in patients treated with lithium. We describe a male patient who developed generalized ostraceous psoriasis whose clinical appearance mimicked dermatitis neglecta, 10 months after starting therapy with lithium.

Comparison between histopathologic features of leprosy in reaction lesions in HIV coinfected and non-coinfected patients*

BACKGROUND: Leprosy and HIV are diseases that have a major impact on public health in Brazil. Patients coinfected with both diseases, appear to be at higher risk to develop leprosy reactions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to describe the histopathological aspects of cutaneous lesions during reactional states in a group of patients with HIV-leprosy coinfection, compared to patients with leprosy, without coinfection. METHODS: Two groups were established: group 1 comprised of 40 patients coinfected with HIV-leprosy; group 2, comprised of 107 patients with leprosy only. Patients presenting reactional states of leprosy had their lesions biopsied and comparatively evaluated. RESULTS: Reversal reaction was the most frequent feature in both groups, with dermis edema as the most common histopathological finding. Giant cells were seen in all group 1 histopathological examinations. Dermis edema was the most common finding in patients with erythema nodosum leprosum. CONCLUSION: Few histopathological differences were found in both groups, with reversal reaction as the most significant one, although this fact should be analyzed considering the predominant BT clinical form in the coinfected group and BB form in the group without HIV. Larger prospective studies in patients with HIV-leprosy coinfection are needed to confirm and broaden these results. .

Trichoscopy as a diagnostic tool in trichorrhexis invaginata and Netherton syndrome

Netherton syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by erythroderma, ichthyosis linearis circumflexa, atopy, failure to thrive and a specific hair shaft abnormality called trichorrhexis invaginata or bamboo hair, considered pathognomonic. We report the case of a 4-year-old boy with erythroderma since birth, growth deficit and chronic diarrhea. Trichoscopy was used to visualize typical bamboo and "golf tee" hair and of key importance to diagnose Netherton syndrome. We suggest the use of this procedure in all children diagnosed with erythroderma.