Cutaneous tuberculosis: An infrequent manifestation of a common pathogen in South Africa

Abstract

Cutaneous tuberculosis is an infrequent form of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis, even in high-prevalence settings. We present the case of a patient living with advanced HIV who developed extensive cutaneous tuberculosis. The polymorphic skin lesions were the most striking clinical manifestation of underlying disseminated tuberculosis. Contribution: This case report highlights an unusual presentation of tuberculosis. Cutaneous tuberculosis has a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and may be under-recognised by clinicians. We recommend early biopsy for microbiological diagnosis.

Keywords

• cutaneous tuberculosis
• human immunodeficiency virus
• hiv
• tuberculosis
• tb
• south africa