Espondilodiscitis con absceso intrarraquídeo y paraespinal causada por bacilo de Calmette-Guérin (BCG)

Abstract

Intravesical therapy with live-attenuated Mycobacterium bovis strain have demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of recurrent and high-grade superficial bladder tumors. The use of this therapy is widely extended; however spreading of bacillus from the injection site could be one rare complication that may cause infection in different locations. An appropriate anamnesis is very important to establish an etiological diagnostic of possible infections caused by M. bovis BCG. Laboratory diagnosis at species level is difficult because of the high genetic similarity (99.9%) with the other member of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. We present a case report who developed tuberculous spondylodiscitis by M. bovis BCG, which had a history of intravesical instillation for treatment of bladder cancer.