title: When a respiratory pathogen turns to the skin: cutaneous tuberculosis in a lung transplant patient.
abstract: A 62-year-old male, who received immune suppressive therapy due to a lung transplantation several years ago, developed multiple painful abscesses in the right forearm. First misdiagnosed as staphylococcal abscesses, Mycobacterium tuberculosis was eventually cultured from the abscesses. In addition, the patient also suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis and respiratory specimens were also culture-positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Cutaneous tuberculosis must be kept as a differential diagnosis in the case of abscess-like lesions on the skin, especially in immunocompromised patients. Mycobacteria specific tests (polymerase chain reaction in respiratory samples and wound smears) and antituberculotic combination therapy are necessary to treat Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection/reactivation adequately.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30655 Hannover, Germany voigtlaender.torsten@mh-hannover.de.
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Voigtländer
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cornberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gottlieb
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Welte
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suerbaum
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30655 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Franz-Christoph
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Bange
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016040:Lung Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014382:Tuberculosis, Cutaneous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents
keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; cutaneous tuberculosis; immunosuppressive agents; lung transplantation