An Unusual Presentation of Cutaneous Tuberculosis for Surgeons—Review Of Literature

Abstract

Tuberculosis is one of the oldest diseases on earth. With rising trends of immunosuppressive states, the extrapulmonary manifestations of tuberculosis have emerged and are flourishing. Most often it is the systemic dissemination of the bacilli from the primary infective foci during the periods of low immunity. Cutaneous manifestation of tuberculosis in the form of injection abscess or traumatic inoculation is well known; however, sporadic occurrence of it in the form of abscess with no underlying lesions is quite rare. This would caution the treating units in the endemic areas about the possibility of tuberculosis as the disease in any inflammatory disorder of skin with acute presentations with no systemic symptoms. Only a high index of suspicion would render an early detection and recovery. Our case is one such incident.