title: Non-cultivable mycobacteria in ulcers of the skin.
abstract: In biopsies of 54 patients suffering from chronic dermatological lesions (mostly ulcers of the skin) acid-fast bacilli were found in 14. In these 14 cases in 4 were lesions caused by M. tuberculosis, in 1 the lesion was caused by M. avium-intracellulare, in 1 the lesion was caused by M. fortuitum and in 2 the lesions were caused by non-cultivable mycobacteria (Feldmann-Hershfield ulcer?). In 2 cases the cultures were heavily contaminated, and the diagnosis remained uncertain. In the remaining 4 cases the mycobacteria were considered occasional isolates without clinical significance.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia (INPA), Amazonas, Brasil.
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gadelha
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maroja
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: David
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012874:Skin Diseases, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology*; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000382:microbiology*