Article Text
Abstract
Background: Necrotising non-granulomatous lymphadenitis can be observed in several conditions, most notably infection (including tuberculosis, yersiniosis and nocardiasis), Kikuchi–Fujimoto disease and systemic lupus erythematosus.
Aims: To evaluate the role of PCR in the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in necrotising non-granulomatous lymphadenitis in Thai patients using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue.
Methods: 35 patient samples showing necrotising non-granulomatous lymphadenitis were subjected to PCR for detection of the IS6110 sequence of M tuberculosis. For comparison, sections were visually assessed for acid-fast bacilli using the Ziehl–Neelsen stain.
Results: Among 35 cases of necrotising non-granulomatous lymphadenitis, a conclusive diagnosis could be reached in 23 cases: 15 cases of Kikuchi–Fujimoto disease, 6 of tuberculosis and 2 of systemic lupus erythematosus. Of the 6 cases of tuberculous lymphadenitis, 4 (66.6%) were detected by PCR in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples. PCR was positive in 6/12 of the remaining cases (50%) in which a definitive diagnosis could not be reached by other methods.
Conclusion: Using PCR, a significant percentage (28%) of cases of necrotising non-granulomatous lymphadenitis in this study could be attributed to M tuberculosis. PCR for identification of the organism can be extremely helpful in confirming a diagnosis of tuberculosis when Ziehl–Neelsen staining is negative.
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Footnotes
Funding This work was supported by the Thailand Research Fund (DBG5180026) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association of Thailand. The funding sources were not involved in any parts of this study.
Competing interests None.
Provenance and Peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Ethics approval Ethics approval was obtained.