A case of lupus vulgaris successfully treated with antituberculous therapy despite negative PCR and culture.
A 14-year-old boy presented with a pink firm plaque with well-defined borders in the right infra-orbital skin area. On diascopy, the infiltrate exhibited a typical apple-jelly appearance. No acid-fast bacilli could be demonstrated. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay did not reveal the presence of mycobacteria in a lesional biopsy sample. Culture of biopsied tissue on Loewenstein-Jensen medium was negative. Although the tuberculosis culture and PCR did not confirm tuberculosis, a diagnosis of lupus vulgaris was made considering the clinical and histopathological findings. After a 9-month antituberculous therapy, the lesion disappeared. We believe that a diagnosis of lupus vulgaris still depends more on clinical and histopathological findings than on tuberculosis culture or PCR.
Akoglu
Gulsen
G
Department of Dermatology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Karaduman
Aysen
A
Boztepe
Gonca
G
Ozkaya
Ozay
O
Sahin
Sedef
S
Erkin
Gul
G
Kolemen
Fikret
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D005145:Face; D006801:Humans; D008177:Lupus Vulgaris / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D000995:Antitubercular Agents