Diagnosis of clinically unsuspected extrapulmonary tuberculosis by fine needle aspiration - A case report

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTb) infection remains the cause of higher morbidity and mortality than any other infectious disease in the world. Intact cellular immunity is necessary to resist the disease, and therefore the AIDS epidemic has greatly contributed to the resurgence of MTb. Depending on the degree of immunosuppression, the presentation of MTb in patients with AIDS can be atypical and difficult to diagnose as compared to the classical presentation of MTb in the nonimmunocompromised population. CASE: A patient who was not known to be HIV positive had a clinical picture of extensive abdominal and pelvic lymphadenopathy without chest radiographic abnormalities. The diagnosis of MTb was made by fine needle aspiration (FNA) of a pelvic lymph node. CONCLUSION. Miliary tuberculosis associated with AIDS may have an unusual clinical presentation and unusual cytologic features on FNA.