NEUTROPHILIC TUBERCULOUS PANNICULITIS IN A PATIENT WITH POLYMYOSITIS

The clinical spectrum of cutaneous M. tuberculosis infections is varie d and atypical. Once a major cause of death, with the advent of antimi crobial drugs it had, until recently, been an uncommon consideration i n the differential diagnosis of cutaneous disorders. Panniculitis can be caused by a variety of etiologic agents; however, only rarely has i t been reported caused by tuberculosis. Herein, we describe a patient with an unusual case of neutrophilic panniculitis caused by M. tubercu losis that arose following corticosteroid therapy for presumptive poly myositis. This case illustrates the need to include mycobacterial infe ction in the differential diagnosis of panniculitis in immunocompromis ed patients, and the importance of early detection via microbiologic c ulture and histopathologic examination.