Open AccessMycobacterium abscessus Cervical Lymphadenitis: An Immunocompetent Child
Author(s) -
Chang JennTzong,
Huang YungFeng,
Lin YenTing,
Hsieh KaiSheng,
Liu YungChing,
Chiu LinHui,
Tu HuiZin
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the kaohsiung journal of medical sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.439
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 2410-8650
pISSN - 1607-551X
DOI - 10.1016/s1607-551x(09)70332-8
Subject(s) - medicine , cervical lymphadenopathy , rifabutin , adenitis , incidence (geometry) , dermatology , nontuberculous mycobacteria , tuberculosis , mycobacterium abscessus , mycobacterium tuberculosis , isolation (microbiology) , surgery , pediatrics , mycobacterium , disease , clarithromycin , pathology , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , optics , biology , helicobacter pylori
Nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) is one of the well‐known causes of cervicofacial lymphadenopathy in children under 5 years of age. Children often present with a painless cervical mass that fails to respond to conventional antibiotics. They are often referred under the suspicion of a neoplasm or bacterial adenitis rather than NTM cervical lymphadenitis. The lack of systemic symptoms, modest or negative purified protein derivative test and absence of exposure to active tuberculosis are characteristics of NTM lymphadenitis. The diagnosis usually requires the isolation of pathogen or pathologic proof. Complete excision is the choice of treatment by the majority of authors in the literature. This not only enables rapid diagnosis but ensures the lowest recurrence rate. Medical management is sometimes successful when complete resection is impossible or refused. To our knowledge, the incidence of NTM cervical lymphadenitis in children is increasing throughout the world. However, such reports of children in Taiwan is lacking. Clinicians should suspect a possible nontuberculous mycobacterial infection when a cervical lump is found in a child.