DISSEMINATED CUTANEOUS ERUPTION AFTER BCG VACCINATION

We present nine infants (3 to 10 months of age) with numerous small, p apular, papular-lichenoid, and papulo-pustular lesions predominantly o n the upper and lower limbs associated with local (axillary) lymphaden opathy which appeared after BCG vaccination. Histopathology of the les ions showed small tuberculoid granulomas mainly in the papillary dermi s. The presence of BCG bacillus was demonstrated in five out of seven samples from the lymph nodes after culture and in one skin biopsy spec imen. Ali cases, whether treated or not, evolved to complete resolutio n of the skin lesions. We believe that this peculiar association resul ts from hematogenous spread of the bacillus, which regresses after an adequate immune system reaction.