Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis in immunocompetent patients: Case series and mini review of the literature

Tuberculosis (TB) is still one of the most frequent infectious diseases, causing 2 million deaths a year worldwide. The prevalence of TB has increased in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised and virtually, it can affect any organ. Up to 25% of tuberculosis cases present extra-pulmonary involvement. The diagnosis of extra-pulmonary TB (EPTB) is difficult, often requiring biopsy. Material and methods: We present two cases of EPTB in immunocompetent young women. The first case is about a 15-years old female who presented with persistent high fever, ascites and an increased CA-125 serum level. Biochemical analysis of ascites fluid revealed a high value of adenosine deaminase (ADA), negative Ziehl-Neelsen stain and undetectable Mycobacterium tuberculosis at PCR assay. The peritoneal biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of peritoneal TB. The second case, a 29-years old female with a seven-month history of cervical lymph nodes swelling, with drainage and excision biopsy performed, misdiagnosed as cats-scratch disease based on the histological description as granulomatous lymphadenitis, which turned out to be tuberculous lymphadenitis at the second histopathological opinion. In conclusion, these cases highlight the need for tuberculosis consideration in the differential diagnosis of extra-pulmonary involvement, even in immunocompetent individuals, in order to decrease the misdiagnoses and complications rates.