PERIPHERAL LYMPH-NODE TUBERCULOSIS IN IMM UNOCOMPETENT PATIENTS - A REVIEW OF 10 PATIENTS

Ten cases of peripheral lymph node tuberculosis in immunocompetent pat ients are reported, Six patients had been born outside France. Lymphad enopathy, which was usually cervical (n=7), had been present for a mea n of seven months, Four patients had received the BCG vaccine, Diagnos is required a lymph node biopsy in every case and was established by d etection of acid-fast bacilli on smears (n=4), positive cultures (n=6, and/or typical histologic changes (n=8), Fine-needle aspiration was p erformed in three cases but was inconclusive, None of the ten Mycobact erium tuberculosis strains exhibited resistance to any antituberculous agents. All ten patients recovered under therapy but two experienced adverse effects of pyrazinamide and two had relapses during (n=1) or s hortly or shortly after (n=1) the initial treatment course.