title: Cytologic features of disseminated bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) infection.
abstract: Disseminated bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) infection is an unusual complication of immunization against Mycobacterium tuberculosis with the bacillus Calmette-Guérin. We report on 4 such cases in which the diagnosis was suspected at the fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) procedure. Participants were 4 males (mean age, 21.5 mo; range, 8-36 mo) in good general condition, in whom epidemiology data favoring tuberculosis and presence of pulmonary tuberculosis were lacking. Cases 1 and 2 presented with a deep-seated subcutaneous nodule located near the left mamilla and lower aspect of the left scapula, respectively, resulting from lymph node involvement by BCG. Cases 3 and 4 presented as an osteolytic lesion of the ninth right rib and right iliac bone, respectively. FNAB findings showed poorly to moderately cellular smears. Epithelioid histiocytes in a granuloma pattern with occasional multinucleated Langerhans-type giant cells, lymphocytes, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes in a finely granular background with necrotic debris were found in all cases. The presence of isolated calcified spherules interspersed among the cells was found to be a useful finding for diagnosis. When dealing with disseminated BCG infections, clinical and cytological pictures must be evaluated as a whole in order to arrive at an accurate diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Hospital de Niños Superiora Sor María Ludovica, La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Drut
mesh_terms: D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000009:adverse effects; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D001500:BCG Vaccine