title: Bug or no bug: challenges in diagnosing cutaneous mycobacterial infections.
abstract: Cutaneous mycobacterioses are rare in Germany. Nevertheless, early diagnosis and subsequent effective treatment requires awareness of these conditions. Moreover, mycobacterial infections are on the differential diagnosis list of many skin diseases. Diagnoses of cutaneous mycobacterioses are based on clinical features, but also on laboratory investigations, including bacterial culture, histopathology and PCR-based methods. Knowledge about the opportunities and limitations of theses laboratory tests is pivotal to reasonable clinical decision-making. In this paper, we review the current diagnostic options when suspecting a case of cutaneous mycobacterial infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Franziska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Batinica
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Plum
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.|Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabine A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Eming
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.|Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fabri
mesh_terms: D003881:Dermatomycoses / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003951:Diagnostic Errors / Q000517:prevention & control; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005658:Fungi / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*