Case Report: Culture negative cutaneous tuberculosis

Abstract

Cutaneous tuberculosis (TB) can present in a number of ways, making it difficult to diagnose. It most commonly presents as scrofuloderma, which commonly affects the supra-clavicular region, axilla and the cervical region. All the different presentations of cutaneous TB should be known to clinicians, in order to diagnose it early. The objective of this article is to describe a case of scrofuloderma presenting with different cutaneous lesions at the same time, which were culture negative. We present a 23-year-old male with no known co-morbidities, presenting to us with fever and multiple swellings on the body. Cultures of pus and blood were negative for TB; GeneXpert detected the microorganism. Cutaneous TB, although a rare disease with wide spectrum of cutaneous lesions, should be considered in differential diagnosis of cold abscesses and nodules, especially of the head and neck region.