[Cutaneous tuberculosis yesterday and today].
Cutaneous tuberculosis were very frequent in Europe until the middle of the 20th. Century in which their incidence decreased drastically as a consequence of the specific treatments. On the other hand, the M. bovis caused infections which were previously very common have also been disappearing due to control of milk and the livestock produced for eating purposes. Cutaneous tuberculosis have classically been divided into two groups: typical tuberculosis, with follicular structure and demonstrated bacillus by culture or inoculation and atypical tuberculosis (tuberculids), in which there are no follicular structure and the bacillus is not isolated. Its relationship with tuberculosis is principally based on the personal and/or familial background and on the strong positivity of the Mantoux reaction. The concept of tuberculide has always been under debate. Above all in the second half of the 20th. Century, most of the authors were skeptical in regards to its tuberculous etiology. However, since the 1990's, determinations of bacillary DNA in the lesions by the PCR technique has made it possible to demonstrate the M. tuberculosis in them. At present, due to the probably re-emergence of tuberculosis in general as consequence of the immunodeficiency (AIDS), of the M. tuberculosis strains resistant to treatment, and of the cases imported by immigration, some increase in the incidence of cutaneous tuberculosis can be predicted in the future, although it need be feared that this will reach the amounts of other periods. On the other hand, immunodeficiences have made the anergic forms, such as tuberculosis cutis miliaris diseminata or tuberculous gumma, which were previously rare, less rare al present.
García Pérez
A
A
D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014382:Tuberculosis, Cutaneous / Q000145:classification / Q000266:history / Q000473:pathology
Las tuberculosis cutáneas ayer y hoy.