Miliary tuberculosis with hypercalcemia, and a false abdominal aortic aneurysm, but no pulmonary findings

A 69-year-old man with a 10-year history of diabetes mellitus and 1-year history of steroid treatment for nonspecific interstitial pneumonia presented with a nightly fever of over 39 degrees C after surgery for a false abdominal aortic aneurysm. Hypercalcemia was detected, despite acute renal dysfunction. There was no laboratory evidence of collagen disease or infection including tuberculosis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based amplification of DNA from a bone marrow biopsy specimen revealed Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Antituberculous chemotherapy was initiated. Early bone marrow biopsy and the use of new techniques such as PCR can avoid delay in initiating the proper treatment for compromised patients.

[Tuberculous orchiepididymitis and CNS complication]

INTRODUCTION

Hydrocephalus as a complication of tuberculous orchiepididymitis is extremely rare. In this reported case, hydrocephalus was the consequence of a disseminated tuberculous process.

CASE REPORT

A 28-year-old man was treated for a left-sided orchiepididymitis. He developed the signs of increased intracranial pressure. Computer tomography (CT) of the brain showed a hydrocephalus. The diagnostics that followed confirmed disseminated tuberculosis (Tbc).

CONCLUSIONS

Urogenital system is at the present rarely affected by Tbc. Especially rare is disseminated Tbc, which affects at the same time three different organ systems. Disseminated Tbc presented with many different but non-specific clinical symptoms, sometimes mimicking neoplasm. This makes diagnosis and therapy more difficult. We point out that in any case of orchiepididymitis not responding to standard antimicrobial therapy Tbc must be taken into consideration as the one of the differential diagnostic possibilities.

[A case of arteria cerebri aneurysm, sepsis, and miliary lung infiltrates in a 32-year-old woman]

BACKGROUND

Miliary tuberculosis is a rare manifestation of tuberculosis with a high mortality rate. Diagnosis may easily be missed when severe neurologic symptoms are the first clinical manifestation. A typical case of miliary tuberculosis is reported, with special regard to the problems of diagnostic work-up. The need for an early empirical therapy for suspected military tuberculosis is emphasized in particular.

CASE REPORT

A 32-year-old Moroccan woman was admitted to the hospital with aphasia and a hemiparesis due to an intracerebral hemorrhage caused by a ruptured septic A. cerebri media aneurysm. Despite intensive work-up no septic focus could be found. Chest radiograph and computerized tomography (CT) showed miliary consolidations in the lungs. Skin testing (Tuberkulin Behring GT5) and smears for acid-fast bacilli and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for tuberculosis of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were negative. A four-drug antituberculous regimen (rifampicin [RMP], isoniazid [INH], pyrazinamide [PZA], ethambutol [EMB]) was initiated, and resulted in normalization of temperature, blood pressure, and C-reactive protein. Subsequently, cultures of BAL yielded Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The patient was discharged, a two-drug regimen was conducted (RMP, INH) after 2 months. Follow-up of the patient showed a significant improvement of the miliary lung consolidations after 5 months in CT of the lung. Only minor neurologic symptoms persisted after cessation of the therapy.

CONCLUSION

In developed countries, miliary tuberculosis is a very rare cause of septic infiltrative lung disease. However, due to the nonspecific nature of the presentation and despite improved diagnostic techniques, a high clinical suspicion is essential for successful treatment.

[Disseminated mycobacterial infections in patients with HIV/AIDS. Evaluation of blood cultures]

One thousand-forty blood cultures corresponding to 451 Uruguayan patients with AIDS and clinic diagnosis of disseminated mycobacterial infection were evaluated between 1999 and 2003. Samples were processed in the National Reference Center for Mycobacteria (Montevideo, Uruguay), using the automated blood culture system for mycobacteria MB-BacT (BioMérieux). Forty-five positive samples were detected (4.3%) corresponding to 26 patients with AIDS (average 2.3 samples per patient). In 10/26 patients M. avium complex (MAC) was identified and in 13/26 the isolated germ was M. tuberculosis. The average time of incubation was of 12.4 days (range 6-19 days) for MAC and of 22.6 days (range 7-35 days) for M. tuberculosis. Blood culture has demonstrated to be the best sample for the bacteriological confirmation of the disseminated mycobacterial infections when at least 2 samples by patient are studied. The frequency of isolates of M. tuberculosis and MAC in AIDS patients is according with a moderate prevalence of tuberculosis in Uruguay.

Severe CD8 deficiency in a child with miliary tuberculosis

This report described a 6-month-old boy who presented with miliary tuberculosis and severe CD8 deficiency, which is most likely secondary to miliary tuberculosis since his CD8 was back to normal 6 month after therapy and primary CD8 deficiency, (ZAP 70 defect) was ruled out. To our knowledge this is the first paediatric case reported with severe CD8 deficiency secondary to miliary TB.

Successful management of ARDS with bronchopleural fistula secondary to miliary tuberculosis using a conventional ventilator

Most institutions in India and other developing countries do not have facilities for high frequency ventilation in adults. We report the successful management of a case of ARDS with bronchopleural fistula secondary to miliary tuberculosis using a conventional ventilator and early empiric anti-tubercular therapy.

Miliary tuberculosis: new insights into an old disease

Miliary tuberculosis is a potentially lethal form of tuberculosis resulting from massive lymphohaematogeneous dissemination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli. The emergence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and widespread use of immunosuppressive drugs has changed the epidemiology of miliary tuberculosis. Impaired cell-mediated immunity underlies the disease's development. Clinical manifestations are non-specific and typical chest radiographic findings may not be seen until late in the course of the disease. Atypical presentations--eg, cryptic miliary tuberculosis and acute respiratory distress syndrome--often delay the diagnosis. Several laboratory abnormalities with prognostic and therapeutic implications have been described, including pulmonary function and gas exchange impairment. Isolation of M tuberculosis from sputum, body fluids, or biopsy specimens, application of molecular methods such as PCR, and histopathological examination of tissue biopsy specimens are useful for the confirmation of diagnosis. Although response to first-line antituberculosis drugs is good, evidence regarding optimum duration of treatment is lacking and the role of adjunctive corticosteroid treatment is unclear.

Miliary tuberculosis not affecting the lungs but complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome

A 61-year-old woman was admitted with fever and headache of 10-day duration. She was found to have anemia, jaundice, and signs of meningitis. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was increased and the tuberculin skin test was positive. A provisional diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis was made and antituberculous therapy was started, although no miliary lesions were seen on chest radiography. However, her condition rapidly deteriorated with diffuse opacification of both lungs and she died on the 7th hospital day. Postmortem examination revealed miliary tuberculosis in several organs but not in the lungs with acute respiratory distress syndrome accounting for the lung pathology. It should be noted that on rare occasions the lungs may not be involved by miliary tuberculosis.

Tuberculous meningitis and miliary tuberculosis: the Rich focus revisited

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) develops most often when a caseating meningeal or sub-cortical focus, the Rich focus, discharges its contents into the subarachnoid space. It is recognized that TBM is frequently accompanied by miliary tuberculosis, but the relationship between the development of the Rich focus and miliary tuberculosis remains controversial. The original descriptions of Arnold Rich and Howard McCordock are reviewed together with the work of other pathologists and the observations of the natural history of tuberculosis by astute clinicians such as Arvid Wallgren and Edith Lincoln. Rich and McCordock dissociated miliary tuberculosis from a role in the pathogenesis of TBM, and this view continues to appear in reviews and textbooks dealing with TBM. We suggest, particularly in childhood, that miliary tuberculosis is indeed directly involved in the pathogenesis of TBM in as much as that the overwhelming bacillaemia that accompanies miliary tuberculosis serves to increase the likelihood that a meningeal or sub-cortical Rich focus will be established, which may in its turn caseate and give rise to TBM.

[Mycobacterium bovis tuberculosis in a female patient with AIDS]

M. bovis, the agent of bovine tuberculosis, was in other times, the main ethiological agent of tuberculosis (TBC) in industrialized countries. At the moment, the human cases have become not very frequent, except in those countries where the illness is even endemic. In patients with immunodeficiency syndrome, it usually presents as a systemic illness. We present the case of a woman with AIDS and disseminated TBC caused by M. bovis. The isolated micobacteria turned out to be resistant to rifampin and pyrazinamide. She was treated with isoniazid, ethambutol and ofloxacin with good clinical evolution. This case turned out to be the first isolation of M. bovis in a patient with AIDS, in Muñiz hospital.

Loss of vision and renal function in a patient with miliary tuberculosis

INTRODUCTION

Visual loss is a rare complication of tuberculosis; it can be related to anti-tuberculous drugs or to the infection itself. For the treatment of visual loss, differential diagnosis is important between infection and adverse effect of anti-tuberculous drugs.

CASE

A 48-year-old male patient with a history of tuberculosis and visual loss during anti-tuberculous drug therapy was admitted to our hospital. Anti-tuberculous drugs had been stopped on the 2nd day of therapy due to development of optic neuritis secondary to ethambutol administration at another hospital. He had miliary tuberculosis, renal failure requiring dialysis and visual disturbances. Anti-tuberculous drugs, including ethambutol, were initiated at our clinic because the period between the ethambutol therapy and visual loss was too short and the dose of ethambutol was not very high. Computed brain tomography was normal. Fundoscopic examination revealed only hypertensive retinopathy. Our diagnosis was tuberculosis-related visual loss, which could be due to neuroretinitis, intraocular tuberculosis or chiasmal tuberculoma. In addition, ethambutol rarely causes visual loss during the early period or when given at lower doses. In our case no complications developed from the treatment and the patient's visual loss and renal function improved. At his last visit, 12 months later, his vision had improved and his serum creatinine was lower, at 2.2 mg/dL.

CONCLUSION

With anti-tuberculous treatment, renal functions and visual disturbances were improved in a patient with miliary tuberculosis. During the anti-tuberculous therapy, visual loss can be related to ethambutol toxicity or the tuberculosis infection itself. Differential diagnosis is very important and anti-tuberculous drugs must be continued if the diagnosis is tuberculosis.

Brain tuberculomas due to miliary tuberculosis

Brain tuberculomas are a rare complication of tuberculosis arising through hematogenous spread from an extracranial source, most often of pulmonary origin. The clinical course is usually subacute or chronic, lasting weeks or months, and they typically occur in immunocompromised patients. Recognition and prompt diagnosis of this disorder is important because early treatment can prevent patient worsening and lead to clinical improvement. The authors report a 68-year-old diabetic man with headache and cognitive/behavioral changes in whom investigation revealed disseminated brain tuberculomas resulting from miliary tuberculosis. He received antituberculous treatment and had an excellent recovery.

Miliary tuberculosis in a patient with eosinophilic fasciitis

The fibrosing disorders represent a diverse group of uncommon chronic diseases that include systemic sclerosis, eosinophilic fasciitis, eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome, toxic oil syndrome, and localized forms of fibrosis. A rare case of eosinophilic fasciitis is reported. The patient was a 61-year-old female who presented with generalized massive edema and eosinophilia. Signs of common edema-producing diseases, such as heart failure, were absent. Corticosteroids were initiated with slow improvement in edema. Over the ensuing months, miliary tuberculosis and tenosynovitis of her left hand and left foot developed, which responded to appropriate treatment. Moreover, prominent induration, hyperpigmentation, and coarse puckering of the skin gradually took place. Other conditions, especially neoplasms and infections, have been described in association with eosinophilic fasciitis, but this is the first reported case of miliary tuberculosis associated with the disease.

About an unusual systemic disorder: report of a cryptic miliary tuberculosis

We report here the case of a young Chinese woman with cryptic miliary tuberculosis associated with acute hepatitis, pancytopenia, biological disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and hyponatremia. Following the introduction of a classic tuberculostatic treatment, her general status quickly improved. After an extensive review of the literature, this is, to the best of our knowledge, the first case of cryptogenic miliary tuberculosis with all its cumulative complications.

Recurrent pneumothorax at an infant with miliary tuberculosis

A seven-month-old girl with miliary tuberculosis (Tbc) admitted to hospital due to development of acute dyspnoea and cyanosis at the end of third month of anti-Tbc therapy. Pneumothorax was evident at right lung with the chest radiography. A chest tube placed under water seal was applied. The patient healed up and then discharged. One week later, the patient admitted to hospital again, with same complaints due to pneumothorax at the same hemithorax. Same treatment was applied to the patient. Anti-Tbc therapy was stopped at the end of 12th month. Although, pneumothorax is a rare life-threatening complication of miliary Tbc, it's not seen only on admission or soon after beginning of the therapy, but it can be seen several months later during treatment. We want to report this case. That is the first case in which pneumothorax developed during therapy of an infant with miliary Tbc.

First documented cure of a suggestive exogenous reinfection in polymyositis with same but multidrug resistant M. tuberculosis

BACKGROUND

MDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the major cause of treatment failure in tuberculosis patients, especially in immunosuppressed. We described a young polymyositis patient on immunosuppressive therapy who was started with antituberculosis therapy as a susceptible strain of M. tuberculosis was isolated from a single cutaneous abscess in his neck and from regional lymph nodes.

CASE PRESENTATION

He had non-reactive miliary tuberculosis and multiple cutaneous abscesses 6 months later with the same strain, which was resistant this time to 9 antituberculosis drugs. We described clinical presentation, radiological and laboratory work-up, treatment and follow-up as the patient was cured after 1.5 years with 6 antituberculosis drugs.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first reported case where an immunosuppressed patient with suggestive exogenous reinfection within 6 months with the same but MDR strain of M. tuberculosis was cured. Intense management and regular follow up were important since the patient was a potent source of MDR M. tuberculosis infection and there was limited choice for therapy.

Disseminated tuberculosis complicating anti-TNF-alpha treatment

An unusually large number of cases of tuberculosis, often of miliary or disseminated form, have been reported in patients receiving infliximab therapy for rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn's disease. We describe a patient with rheumatoid arthritis who was treated with infliximab and became systemically ill with Mycobacterium tuberculosis-disseminated infection. Patients who are candidates for treatment with tumour necrosis factor-alfa inhibitors should be evaluated for the presence of latent or active

Multidrug resistant miliary tuberculosis and Pott's disease in an immunocompetent patient

In a high tuberculosis TB prevalence country, mortality due to miliary TB is not unknown but the treatment outcome in general is good. We describe a previously healthy man with miliary TB who did not respond to 2-months antituberculous therapy with 4 drugs. Persistent complaints of backache, which antedated chest symptoms, resulted in a diagnosis of Pott's disease. Culture of bronchial aspirate yielded multidrug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis that responded slowly to streptomycin, ethionamide, cycloserine, clofazimine, ofloxacin, paraaminosalicylic acid and isoniazid. The association of multidrug resistant miliary TB with Pott's disease in an immunocompetent patient is yet to be highlighted.

Impact of the human immunodeficiency virus on the epidemiology of tuberculosis in area 15 of the Valencian community in Spain

SETTING

Area 15 in Valencia.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the epidemiology (1987-2001) of tuberculosis (TB) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients.

METHODS

Study of annual incidence, age distribution, excess cases attributed to HIV, etiological risk fraction (ERF), population attributable fraction (PAF) and f factor.

RESULTS

Of 476 cases diagnosed, 459 were TB, 16 environmental and one mixed; 76% of environmental cases were HIV-positive (P < 0.001). There was a mean annual TB incidence of 24.6/100000, with an annual reduction of 4%. Seventy-three patients were HIV coinfected (16%) (mean incidence 3834/100 000 seropositives). The principal risk factor was drug use (59%) for HIV+ and contact with TB for HIV-. We found no difference in pulmonary or extra-pulmonary location between groups, contrary to mixed cases (P < 0.001). In HIV+ there was a lower frequency of infiltrates (P < 0.001) and cavitation (P < 0.01), and a higher frequency of adenitis (P < 0.001), miliary or nodular pattern and normal X-ray (P < 0.001). Seropositives had a 174 times higher probability of developing TB. The mean ERF attributed to HIV was 99%, the PAF was 16% and the f factor was 1.19. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) reduced the risk of TB in HIV+ by 80%.

CONCLUSIONS

TB has continued its decline, although HIV generated an excess of cases in the 1990s. HAART has reduced the TB risk in HIV+ and possibly the overall rate of TB.

Tuberculous meningitis with pulmonary miliary tuberculosis: a clinicoradiological study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

This study aims at evaluating the clinical and radiological outcome of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) patients with pulmonary miliary tuberculosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Diagnosis of TBM was based on clinical, CT scan or MRI and CSF criteria, and that of miliary tuberculosis on chest radiograph. Detailed clinical evaluation was done in all. Severity of meningitis was graded into Grades I, II and III. Complete hemogram, serum chemistry and Montaux tests were performed. The recovery was defined on the basis of 6 months Barthel index score as poor, partial or complete.

RESULTS

20 out of 165 patients with TBM had pulmonary miliary tuberculosis. Their mean age was 30 years; there was one child and 13 patients were females. The mean duration of symptoms was 6.3 months. Montoux test was negative in 9 patients. Six patients were in stage I, 3 in stage II, and 11 in stage III meningitis. Hemoglobin was below 12 gm% in 13 and liver dysfunction and hypocalcaemia was present in 8 and 18 patients respectively. CT scan was abnormal in 16 patients and revealed hydrocephalus (10), granuloma (7), exudates (3) and infarction (1). MRI was abnormal in 7 out of 8 patients and 3 of these patients had normal CT scan. MRI revealed multiple granuloma in 7 patients and exudates in 2. At 6 months, 2 patients died, 10 had complete, 2 had partial and 4 had poor recovery.

CONCLUSION

TBM with pulmonary miliary tuberculosis was commoner amongst females who were anemic and hypocalcaemic. MRI revealed multiple granuloma and the majority of the patients improved.

Pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema in acute miliary tuberculosis

Pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema are rare complications of miliary tuberculosis in children. In this report, a 5-year-old girl with miliary tuberculosis complicated by pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema, is presented and relevant literature is discussed.

Miliary tuberculosis presenting as acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock, DIC, and multiorgan failure

A 48-year-old Hispanic man developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC), fulminant hepatic failure, renal dysfunction, pancytopenia and septic shock, and died on his fourth day of hospitalization. The postmortem examination revealed caseating and non-caseating granulomas in all sampled organs. Antemortem sputum and postmortem pulmonary tissue cultures were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Miliary tuberculosis (TB) was diagnosed. Factors associated with mortality include delayed diagnosis/therapy and presence of ARDS, DIC, septic shock, and multiorgan failure.

A case of choroidal tubercles

PURPOSE

To report a case of choroidal tubercles in a miliary tuberculosis boy.

METHOD

Clinical features description.

RESULTS

A 14-year-old boy was found to have multifocal choroidal tubercles. Angiography was performed. He was followed up for 12 months. The choroidal lesions regressed after using anti-tuberculosis drugs for 8 months. Pigment changes remained.

CONCLUSION

Tuberculosis may present as a posterior segment inflammation. In miliary tuberculosis, choroid is also a target tissue.

[Diagnosis of disseminated mycobacterial infection in AIDS patients by US-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of lymphnodes and spleen]

Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of abdominal US and fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in the diagnosis of disseminated mycobacteriosis (DM) in patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). We reviewed the US and clinical records of 18 AIDS patients (12 males; 22-43 years) with DM studied with abdominal US. 18 patients underwent fine-needle aspiration biopsy of enlarged abdominal lymphnodes and 11 underwent FNAB of the spleen. All aspirates were studied with acid-fast stain for fast examination and cultures for isolation of mycobacteria. Abdominal US showed: enlarged abdominal lymphnodes (diameter range: 5-35 mm; mean 17 mm) splenomegaly (spleen diameter range: 14-22 cm; mean: 16.2 cm) and hepatomegaly (right hepatic lobe thickness range: 14.5-18.5 cm) in all patients; multiple splenic abscesses (diameter range: 3-20 mm) in 11 patients; small intestine wall thickening in 5 patients (maximum bowel wall thickness range: 7-15 mm); mild to moderate ascites in 8 patients; pleural effusion in 4 patients; hyperechogenicity of the kidney cortex in 5 patients; peritoneal abscesses in one and a retroperitoneal abscess in one patient. fast-acid-stain of spleen and/or lymphnode FNAB specimens allowed early diagnosis of mycobateriosis in 18/18 cases (100%). Cultures of lymphnode aspirates grew mycobacteria in 10/18 patients (56%). Spleen aspirates grew mycobacteria in 11/11 patients (100%) Blood cultures were positive in 6/18 patients (33%). Diagnosis of species was M. tuberculosis in 9 and M. avium in 6 patients. In 3/18 patients (17%) all cultures were negative. In conclusion, abdominal US features suggest DM in AIDS patients. Spleen and/or lymphnode FNAB allows a specific diagnosis in 100% of the patients.

Tuberculous meningitis and miliary tuberculosis in young children

OBJECTIVES

To document the clinical and diagnostic features of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in young children with and without concomitant miliary tuberculosis (TB).

METHODS

A retrospective comparative study.

RESULTS

Of 104 children with TBM, 32 (31%), median age 17.0 months, had a miliary appearance on chest radiograph; 72 (69%), median age 30.5 months, had TBM only (P = 0.04). Mediastinal adenopathy was noted in 27 (84%) of the children with miliary TB and 33 (46%) of those with TBM only (P = 0.0005). The mean cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lymphocyte and polymorphonuclear counts of all children (no significant differences between groups) were 137 x 10(6)/l and 38 x 10(6)/l and the mean protein and glucose concentrations were 1.45 g/l and 0.72 mmol/l, respectively. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes were predominant in the CSF of 17% of children, in 16% the CSF glucose was > 2.2 mmol/l and in 26% the CSF protein was < 0.8 g/l. On Mantoux testing 37 (65%) of 57 children with TBM only and 12 (48%) of 25 children with TBM and miliary TB had an induration of > or = 10 mm (P = 0.23). Ten children (10%) died, five (7%) who had TBM only and five (16%) who had TBM and miliary TB.

CONCLUSION

Children with TBM and miliary TB were younger and more likely to have mediastinal adenopathy on chest radiography than those with TBM only. Diagnostic features and investigations in both groups may be misleading at times.

Atypical cutaneous findings in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus

A previously diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus patient presented with arthralgia, skin rash and muscular weakness. When treated with high-dose corticosteroids and methotrexate she improved, except for a persistent lesion in the hand which evolved into a profound ulcer, along with tender subcutaneous nodules in the calf. A skin biopsy disclosed necrotizing vasculitis with giant cell granuloma revealing acid fast positive bacteria on ziels nilsen staining. A chest X-ray disclosed miliary tuberculosis (TB). The patient was diagnosed as miliary TB with prominent cutaneous involvement and treated with four anti-tuberculous drugs with slow resolution of her systemic, pulmonary and skin signs.

[Portal and splenic veins thrombosis reveling a miliary tuberculosis of the liver]

The etiologies of the portal vein trombosis are dominated by the neoplasic forms with hepatocellular carcinoma; we report a rare case of portal and splenic veins thrombosis revealing a liver military tuberculosis occuring in a HIV 1 infected patient. A 42 years old senegalese woman with no personal or family history of thrombosis was admitted for abdominal upper right quadran, and epigastric pain, with fever and important weight loss. Ultrasound identified endoluminal echogenic images in the portal and splenic veins. There were no lymph nodes or liver tumor. Evaluations of proteins C and S were normal and there was no anticardiolipin antibody. In searching the aetiology of the thrombosis, a liver biopsy was performed, and showed a miliary tuberculosis. an HIV 1 infection was later on diagnosed. The antituberculosis treatment associated with heparine therapy was successful, the thrombosis resolved entirely. This portal and splenic veins thromboses occuring on a miliary tuberculosis of the liver seems to be an exceptional situation. We did not found in the literature a similar case.lt points out the interset of liver biopsy in searching the aetiology and the early heparine therapy set up

Respiratory failure in tuberculosis: a modern perspective

Acute respiratory failure is more common in miliary tuberculosis than in tuberculous bronchopneumonia and also has a worse prognosis. Chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure is frequent after both spinal tuberculosis and surgical treatments for pulmonary tuberculosis. It may develop insidiously or present acutely, for instance, during a chest infection. Hypoventilation appears during REM sleep before non-REM sleep or wakefulness and is readily treatable with non-invasive ventilation. The prognosis is good even if initially tracheostomy ventilation is required temporarily.

Miliary Tuberculosis as a Cause of Acute Empyema

Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis are known, life-threatening complications of miliary tuberculosis. This report describes a patient with miliary tuberculosis who rapidly developed an acute tuberculous empyema. She had a fulminant course culminating in ARDS, sepsis and subsequent death. This case highlights the rare association of acute empyema with miliary tuberculosis.

Mycobacteriosis in patients with fever of unknown origin

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) is a common syndrome. A total of 94 patients (57 men and 37 women; mean age, 56.3 +/- 19 years, range, 18-86 years) who met the criteria of FUO were included in this study. Mycobacteriosis was diagnosed in 22 (23%) of these patients (13 men and 9 women), including 9 with disseminated disease and 13 with pulmonary disease. There was no significant statistical difference in age, sex, short-term survival status (3 months), and other clinical parameters between patients with and without mycobacteriosis. Clinical manifestations may be specific or nonspecific. The most common initial presentations in patients with mycobacteriosis were respiratory tract symptoms, mainly of cough and dyspnea, observed in 11 (50%) patients, and disturbance of consciousness in 6 (27%). The associated conditions included malnutrition (4 patients, 18%), diabetes mellitus (3, 14%), and renal failure (3, 14%). Four (18%) patients had a history of pulmonary tuberculosis or tuberculous spondylitis in their early adulthood. The 2 most common findings on chest radiograph were interstitial (41%) and nonspecific infiltrative (32%) patterns. In conclusion, mycobacteriosis remains the leading cause of FUO in southern Taiwan and it is important to screen for this treatable disease in all cases of FUO.

Thrombocytopenic purpura associated with miliary tuberculosis

The authors report a case of thrombocytopenia associated with miliary tuberculosis. The patient was a 28-year-old woman who was admitted because of massive upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage and acute respiratory failure. Chest radiographs revealed diffuse bilateral reticulonodular infiltration and complete blood count was significant for severe thrombocytopenia. Bone marrow biopsy was performed to investigate the cause of thrombocytopenia and demonstrated multiple tiny caseating granulomas suggesting miliary tuberculosis (TB). She received anti-TB therapy and a short course of steroid with good response. Platelet count returned to normal limit within 10 days. Although isolated thrombocytopenia is uncommon in TB, it is still important to consider TB in the differential diagnosis of thrombocytopenia, particularly in patients with abnormal chest radiographs. Bone marrow examination is very helpful in this situation.

[Tuberculosis in patients with chronic kidney failure]

BACKGROUND

In a retrospective study we analysed the incidence of tuberculosis (tb) in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing dialysis treatment at the Department of Medicine Strahov, General University Hospital, 1st Medical Faculty, Charles University, Prague. Study included patients who died and were autopsied from 1991 till 2000.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Active tb was found in 11 cases (4 men and 7 women, age 56 to 84 years) from the total of 275 patients, i.e. in 4%. The results confirmed the increased risk of tb in our group as compared to general population. Tuberculosis was diagnosed of in 2 patients before they died and in 3 patients there was a suspicion of tb before the death. In 6 cases tb was found during autopsy. Unlike the non-dialysed population, where pulmonary tb has the highest incidence (in Czech republic 75%), in the studied group extrapulmonary forms of tb were predominant (9 patients, i.e. 81.8% had some form of extrapulmonary tb). Miliary tb was found in 8 cases (72.7%). Because the symptoms of tb are unspecific and they are not pathognomonic, they were masked by other, already known diseases in patients with multiple co-morbidities. The low number of cases of tb diagnosed before death represents a serious problem. Obviously, it is difficult to prove tb unambiguously, even when such possibility is taken into account.

CONCLUSIONS

In differential diagnosis, we always have to bear in mind the possibility of the patient having tb. In examination algorithm we have to concentrate on both pulmonary and extra-pulmonary forms of tb.

Abdominal miliary tuberculosis in a patient with AIDS: a case report

We present a 34 year old patient, intravenous drug user, hospitalized with fever, distortion of general status, dry irritating cough, abdominal colicative pains, and we established the diagnosis of HIV infection advanced stage/AIDS; his antecedents revealed (August 2000) abdominal tuberculosis not treated during the last 3 months. He presented a pneumonia with Pneumocystis carinii during hospitalization. Death was due to a colon perforation with secundary peritonitis. Miliary tuberculous lesions in liver, spleen and colon were revealed at necropsy and cytomegalovirus was identified in necrotic samples also.

Disseminated tuberculosis in a pregnant woman presenting with numerous brain tuberculomas: case report

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which has the pulmonary form as the most common presentation. Dissemination of the disease is common in immunocompromised patients, but immunodeficiency related to pregnancy severe enough to cause dissemination of the Mycobacteria is exceedingly rare. When dissemination occurs, any organ may be affected and in central nervous system, the infection presents as meningitis and single brain parenchyma tuberculomas. We report the case of a 17 year-old woman at the 34th week of pregnancy with respiratory and high intracranial pressure symptoms. On the day before admission she had a sudden onset of paraparesis and urinary retention and ten hours after the delivery she presented with paraplegia . The chest X-ray and CT scan were compatible with miliary tuberculosis. The cranial CT scan revealed numerous rounded hypodense lesions located at cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres, which presented ring-like enhancement after contrast injection. The patient underwent a craniotomy with biopsy of the lesions confirming the diagnosis of brain tuberculomas. The three-drug regimen was started and the cranial CT scan performed a year after diagnosis showed no brain lesions. We emphasize the aggressive dissemination of the disease in this case associated with pregnancy and the importance of early diagnosis and institution of therapy resulting in regression of the lesions.

[A case of miliary tuberculosis complicated with a tuberculous aneurysm of the aorta]

A 68-year-old man was admitted because of fever and weight loss. A chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan revealed diffuse micronodular shadows, and an abdominal CT scan showed an aneurysm spreading from the root of the renal artery to the iliac bifurcation. His fever subsided without treatment and his general condition was good. However, histological studies of a transbronchial lung biopsy specimen and bone marrow aspirate clot revealed non-necrotizing epitheloid granulomas, and mycobacterium tuberculosis was cultured from sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids. Military tuberculosis was diagnosed. One month after the initiation of chemotherapy, the abdominal aneurysm enlarged quickly despite the improvement of the thoracic findings, and graft replacement was performed. Histological findings in specimens of the resected aneurysm suggested that tuberculous inflammation of the surrounding lymph nodes had invaded the aortic wall, leading to the aneurysm. It should be borne in mind that symptoms in elderly patients with miliary tuberculosis may be mild, even when serious extrapulmonary lesions are present.

Congenital tuberculous lymphadenitis in a preterm infant in Greece

Congenital tuberculosis is a rare disease. The risk of tuberculosis in pregnancy has increased owing to recent changes in the epidemiology of the disease, which have led to an increased risk of congenital tuberculosis. We present a case report on a 6-d-old premature infant with tuberculous lymphadenitis. Smears of the lymphatic tissue contained acid-fast bacilli, and cultures were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis hominis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay of the suppurative material of the lymph node was positive for M. tuberculosis. Twenty days before onset of labour, the mother developed miliary tuberculosis and meningitis.

CONCLUSION

The atypical clinical manifestations of congenital tuberculosis and the devastating consequences in the absence of early therapy signify the importance of early diagnosis and treatment during the neonatal period. PCR assay is a useful technique for prompt diagnosis in neonates with clinically suspected infection.

Spectrum of manifestations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in primates infected with SIV

To characterize the manifestations of coinfection with M. tuberculosis and SIV infection, we studied 12 SIV-infected rhesus monkeys, six of which were infected intrabronchially with a low dose of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. In the six coinfected animals, M. tuberculosis antigen-stimulated lung and blood cells produced high concentrations of IFN-gamma but not IL-4 8-16 weeks after infection. Of the three coinfected animals with high levels of plasma viremia, two developed disseminated tuberculosis and the other died of bacterial peritonitis. Of three coinfected animals with moderate levels of plasma viremia, two had no clinical or radiographic evidence of tuberculosis or progressive SIV infection for 6 months after infection. At neuropsy, pulmonary granulomata were observed and acid-fast organisms or M. tuberculosis were present. These clinical, immunologic and pathologic findings are consistent with those in humans with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and suggest that a model of LTBI in SIV-infected primates can be developed. Such a model will permit delineation of the immunologic and microbial factors that characterize LTBI in HIV-infected persons.

A case of Legionella pneumophila pneumonia complicated by miliary tuberculosis

A 47-year-old woman was admitted to hospital with severe Legionella pneumonia. The respiratory symptoms improved dramatically and the X-rays revealed a decrease in the diffuse chest infiltrates after treatment with erythromycin and rifampicin. However, chest CT scans showed that the reticulonodular opacities persisted for several weeks after the onset of pneumonia. Two months after admission, the chest X-rays showed the progression of small nodules in both lungs and there was increasing respiratory distress. A diagnosis of miliary tuberculosis was confirmed. The present case should alert physicians to this potentially confusing combination of respiratory pathogens.

[A case of urinary and miliary tuberculosis detected during examination for renal failure]

A case of urinary and miliary tuberculosis in a 51-year-old male is reported. The patient with the complaint of low grade fever at night and appetite loss had visited another clinic. Laboratory data showed renal failure (serum creatinine 3.9 mg/dl, BUN 35.1 mg/dl) and he was referred to our hospital. Ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) revealed bilateral hydronephrosis. Therefore we suspected postrenal renal failure. We performed cystoscopy in order to perform retrograde pyelography and to indwell double J stent. The bladder showed yellow-whitish nodules all over the bladder. Tuberculous bacilli were detected in the urine by smear, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and culture. Chest radiography and CT revealed multiple granular nodules and so diagnosed miliary tuberculosis. Immediately combination chemotherapy of with isonicotinic acid hydrozide, rifapicin, ethanbutal and pirazinamide was administered. Histopathology by bladder biopsy showed epithelioid cell granuloma. Chemotherapy was effective, but the vesical capacity was contracted to less than 50 ml, and we suspect that the patient will need vesical augmentation.