24 August 2018 : Case report
Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in an Asymptomatic Child, Sibling, and Symptomatic Pregnant Mother in New York City by Tuberculin Skin Testing and the Importance of Screening High-Risk Urban Populations for Tuberculosis
Challenging differential diagnosis
Minnie JohnABDEF, Aditya ChhikaraABEF, Deepthi M. JohnABCDEF, Nayaab KhawarADEF, Brande BrownADE, Pramod NarulaAEFDOI: 10.12659/AJCR.909148
Am J Case Rep 2018; 19:1004-1009
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In 2017, in New York City (NYC), 86% of the cases of tuberculosis (TB) occurred in patients who were born outside the United States (US). This case report illustrates the importance of the use of the tuberculin skin test (TST), and other tests for TB infection (TTBI), in screening high-risk groups, the challenges of diagnosing TB in young children, and highlights the importance of preventing a delay in the diagnosis of TB in family members.
CASE REPORT: Following a routine TST in an asymptomatic 10-year-old girl, a diagnosis of TB was made, which was confirmed on chest X-ray (CXR) and by the presence of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) in the sputum. Her family had emigrated from China to NYC ten years previously. All the family was screened using the TST, which was positive in her 2-year-old sister and her 37-year-old pregnant mother, and pulmonary TB was confirmed on CXR and by AFBs in the sputum. All three family members and the newborn baby were treated according to current guidelines, with a good clinical outcome.
CONCLUSIONS: This case report raises awareness about the lack of symptoms in childhood TB and the importance of screening high-risk patients in an urban immigrant population. In children under 5 years of age, a diagnosis of TB can indicate a sentinel event, suggesting a potential undiagnosed or untreated source case, which is usually an adult family member. This report highlights the challenges of diagnosing TB in children, who may be asymptomatic with negative laboratory findings.
Keywords: latent tuberculosis, Pediatrics, Pregnancy Complications, Infectious, Tuberculin
In Press
05 Mar 2024 : Case report
Transformation of Severe Aplastic Anemia into Donor Cell Leukemia after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell ...Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.943801
14 Mar 2024 : Case report
Potential Indicators of Intestinal Necrosis in Portal Venous Gas: A Case Report of an 82-Year-Old Woman on ...Am J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.942966
05 Mar 2024 : Case report
Simultaneous Transcatheter Closure of a Ventricular Septal Defect and Pulmonary Valvuloplasty: A Case ReportAm J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.942032
06 Mar 2024 : Case report
Successful Healing of Periapical Pathology with Partial Pulpotomy in a Mature Permanent Molar: A Case ReportAm J Case Rep In Press; DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.942937
Most Viewed Current Articles
07 Mar 2024 : Case report
Neurocysticercosis Presenting as Migraine in the United StatesDOI :10.12659/AJCR.943133
Am J Case Rep 2024; 25:e943133
10 Jan 2022 : Case report
A Report on the First 7 Sequential Patients Treated Within the C-Reactive Protein Apheresis in COVID (CACOV...DOI :10.12659/AJCR.935263
Am J Case Rep 2022; 23:e935263
19 Jul 2022 : Case report
Atlantoaxial Subluxation Secondary to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Rare Orthopedic Complication from COVID-19DOI :10.12659/AJCR.936128
Am J Case Rep 2022; 23:e936128
23 Feb 2022 : Case report
Penile Necrosis Associated with Local Intravenous Injection of CocaineDOI :10.12659/AJCR.935250
Am J Case Rep 2022; 23:e935250