Lingual tuberculosis: a rare disease in Western countries

Here we report on two consecutive cases of tuberculosis in immunocompetent HIV-negative patients with lingual lesions. In both patients diagnosis was delayed. Disease progressed involving the lungs, lymph nodes and also the brain. Both patients are disease-free at 30 and 22 month follow-up respectiv...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The New microbiologica 2012-04, Vol.35 (2), p.233-237
Main Authors: Pasticci, Maria Bruna, Floridi, Piero, Schiaroli, Elisabetta, Stagni, Gian Maria, De Socio, Giuseppe Vittorio, Longari, Fabrizio, Baldelli, Franco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brain
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Italy
Lung
Lymph nodes
Male
Middle Aged
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Mycobacterium tuberculosis - isolation & purification
Mycobacterium tuberculosis - physiology
Oral cavity
Rare Diseases - diagnosis
Rare Diseases - microbiology
Tongue - microbiology
Tongue Diseases - diagnosis
Tongue Diseases - microbiology
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, Oral - diagnosis
Tuberculosis, Oral - microbiology
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Summary:Here we report on two consecutive cases of tuberculosis in immunocompetent HIV-negative patients with lingual lesions. In both patients diagnosis was delayed. Disease progressed involving the lungs, lymph nodes and also the brain. Both patients are disease-free at 30 and 22 month follow-up respectively. Isolated Mycobacterium tuberculosis from these patients was multi-susceptible. Tuberculosis lesions of the oral cavity and brain are infrequently diagnosed in immunocompetent subjects from Western countries. Clinicians must take into greater consideration tuberculosis as a possible diagnosis when diagnosing chronic and/or recurrent lingual lesions even in the absence of pulmonary lesions.
ISSN:1121-7138