Breast Tuberculosis: A Case Report

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 1; p. e34175
• Main Authors: Pimentel Nunes, Margarida, Branco Carvalho, Inês, Araújo, Isabel, Almeida, Raquel, Araújo, José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 25.01.2023; Cureus
• Subjects: Abscesses; Anemia; Antibiotics; Biopsy; Breast cancer; Breastfeeding & lactation; Cancer; Case reports; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Drug resistance; Fever; Fistula; Granulomas; Infections; Infectious Disease; Internal Medicine; Magnetic resonance imaging; Medical diagnosis; Obstetrics/Gynecology; Patients; Surgery; Tuberculosis; Portugal; Angola; mycobacterium tuberculosis; mastitis; breast tuberculosis; scrofula; breast cancer differential diagnosis; breast abscess
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.34175

Breast tuberculosis (BTB) is a rare manifestation of tuberculosis (TB), and it is more common in countries with a high incidence of TB. We describe a case of a 36-year-old Angolan woman, who had a history of breast reduction surgery, presenting with right breast enlargement, pain, purulent discharge through multiple skin openings, fever, and abdominal pain, progressively worsening in the past year. She had already undergone several surgical drainages and six months of treatment with ciprofloxacin, with no improvement. Breast ultrasound and MRI were performed, which revealed a large fluid collection, with several small abscesses and surrounding adenopathies, complicated by multiple fistulae. The fluid was drained through needle aspiration, which was found to be sterile for bacteria, mycobacteria, and fungi. A lymph node biopsy showed necrosis without granulomas, and the biopsy culture was positive for (Mt). This case shows how a rare manifestation can simulate bacterial breast abscesses or cancer, and hence a high index of suspicion is necessary to reach the correct diagnosis and ensure appropriate treatment delivery in these patients.