title: A report of cutaneous tuberculosis in siblings.
abstract: Cutaneous tuberculosis is rarely seen in the United States, and we are unaware of any reports of siblings sharing the diagnosis. We report an instance of cutaneous tuberculosis affecting two sisters. The first sibling had skin biopsy specimen findings suggestive of an infectious source, but special stains and cultures were negative. Only with further evaluation using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was the diagnosis established. The second sibling had positive staining for acid-fast bacilli, though her cultures were also negative. A high level of suspicion for tuberculosis should be maintained in otherwise healthy children with nonspecific, granulomatous disorders of the skin. PCR may be a useful tool for selected cases in which a high level of clinical suspicion exists, but special stains and cultures are negative.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Janna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nunez-Gussman
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Starke
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: Edward A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Graviss
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Edwina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Popek
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Metry
mesh_terms: D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014382:Tuberculosis, Cutaneous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents