[Sternal osteomyelitis and scrofuloderma due to BCG vaccination].
BCG vaccine has been used for nearly 100 years in the prevention of tuberculosis. The case of a 13 month-old girl vaccinated as a newborn with BCG is described as presenting a sternal mass with associated periostic erosion. The mass was resected, and histopathological examination revealed a chronic inflammatory reaction with caseous granulomas, and extension to bone and skin. PCR amplifications using specific primers for Mycobacterium tuberculosis on paraffin-embedded tissue were negative. BCG vaccination at birth, the histological appearance and the absence of M. tuberculosis DNA in the resected tissue indicated that osteomyelitis and scrofuloderma were a consequence of BCG. Osteomyelitis is a rarely occurring adverse effect of BCG vaccination, more commonly seen in immunosuppressed patients. In the patient described above, no symptoms of immunodeficiency were seen, however.
Corrales
Ivohne Fernanda
IF
Departamento de Pediatría, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. ifcorrales@yahoo.com
Cortés
Jorge Alberto
JA
Mesa
María Lucía
ML
Zamora
Graciela
G
D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013249:Sternum / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014382:Tuberculosis, Cutaneous / Q000209:etiology*; D014394:Tuberculosis, Osteoarticular / Q000209:etiology*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000009:adverse effects
D001500:BCG Vaccine; D004269:DNA, Bacterial