Tuberculosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Tuberculosis, including details on symptoms, causes, treatment, pulmonary, mycobacterium.

Cellulitis as a manifestation of miliary tuberculosis in a renal transplant recipient.

Seyahi N, Apaydin S, Kahveci A, Mert A, Sariyar M, Erek E

Department of Nephrology, Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Turkey. nseyahi@yahoo.com

Cutaneous involvement is an unusual presentation of tuberculosis (TB) and is rarely reported in renal transplant recipients. We describe a 37-year-old renal transplant recipient with disseminated Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection that presented as cellulitis. The organism was isolated from tissue and blood cultures. The patient was treated with quadruple anti-TB therapy for 12 months. Anti-TB therapy led to a complete resolution of TB lesions. We also provide a review of the literature on cutaneous TB in renal transplant recipients. Skin TB in renal transplant recipients usually occurs with nontuberculous mycobacteria. The spectrum of the skin lesions can be quite different and can mimic bacterial infections. Mycobacteriosis should always be included in the differential diagnosis of a skin lesion in renal transplant recipients.

Published 9 September 2005 in Transpl Infect Dis, 7(2): 80-5.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Tuberculosis Research Today. All Rights Reserved.