Korean J Dermatol.  1975 Mar;13(1):9-16.

A Study on the Culture of Skin Tuberculosis

• Ko CJ
• Woo TH

Abstract

Mycobacteriosis cutis is largely classified to localized forms and exanthematous forms and it is subdivded into five diseases in detail, each. They are 1) primary tuberculous complex, 2) lupus vulgaris, 3) tuberculous verrucosa cutis 4) scrofulo derma, and 5) tuberculosis cutis orificialis in localized ferms and 1) tuberculous miliaris disseminata, 2) lupus miliaris disserninaia faciei, 3) papulonecrotic tuberculid, 4) lichen scrofulosorom and 5) ervthema induratum in exanthematous forms.Rich(1944) insisted on that, the pathogenesis of cutaneous tuberuculosis was essen tially the sarne as that for tuberculosis in general. He said that aII forms of cutaneous tuberculosis were produced by the local action of the bacilus of tuberculosis. In the formerly termed true tuberculosis such as lupus vulgaris, the microorganisrns were found in varing numbers in the lesions, and animal inoculations of tissue were successful, In other forms represented by the tuberculids, the bacillus of tuberculosis was found only in the earilest stages before the true clinical and histological picture had developed, Its short lived existence in this forms was explained by the allergic statc of the tissues and this fact exnlained the failure to find the microorganisms in the lesions, or reproduced the affection by inoculations in animals, in cases sufficiently developed to be recognizable clinically and histologically. The other generally accepted view is that the mycobacteriosis cutis, especially the types in the category of tuberculids are caused by the hematogenous dissemination of tubercle bacilli from a focus, often extrapulmonary in location, into the skin, where they are rapidly destoryed. spiet and Roeckie(1960) agreed with above menitioned plausible theories with the background of their hypothesis, that was the skin was hyperegic, And Miescher(1951) also insisted that, skin had a decreased immunologic resistance. But according to Flegel(1957), if the skin was in a state of hyperegic reaction, the focus from which the dissemination was taking place was also should be in a hyperegic state and vice versa should be right, And moreover, Suizberger(1940) declared that whenever microorganisms or their products were being overcome or neutralized by local lmmunologic reactions, tubercles or tubercles or tuberculoid structures had a tendency to appear. So the theories of different immunologic state between the skin and focus were discarded. After that many authors proposed three factors against a tuberculous etiology of tuberculids. First, inoculation of tissue from lesion into guinea pigs and culturing of such tissue have given no evidence for tuberculosis. Second, active tuberculosis occurs no greater frequency in patients with tuberculids than in the general population. Third, tuberculids does not respond to antituberculous treatment but responds to the adminiatration of corticosteroids. According to Eberhartinger(1963), Schneider and Undeutsch(1965), in erytbema induraturn the primary event is a vasculitis of subcutaneous arteries and veins. And any fat necrosis following vascular damage can develop a tubereuloid appea- rance. Lever(1967) declared with self confidence that it was a relic of the times- when a tuberculoid histology was tantamount to tuberculosis. In this condition we decided to clarify that whether the mycobacteriosis cutis, especially the disease in the category of tuberculids, could be originated from mycobacteria tuberculosis in fact or not. Eleven patients, whose clinical diagnosis were skin tuberculosis or very similar to those diseases such as erythema. nodosum, were biopsied by 5mm puncher after 2% procaine injection on their two of skin lesions, the early one for the culture of tubercle bacilli and the oId one for histopathological study, on the O.P.D. of dermatologic department in Severance Hospital. Those biopsied material of early lesion was digested with proper amount of 4% NaOH and fragmented in tissue grinder about 10 minutes. After that, it was centrifuged in rotating speed of 3,500 r.p.m. for 30minutes, and neutralized by 8% HCl after adding phenol red drop by drop. Again it was centrifuged by same as previous method and its supernatant was discarded. The remnants of precipitin was inoculated on Ogawa's nutrient tuberculous media in incubator at 37C. Finally the acid-fast tubercle bacilli have been grown on the Ogawa's media three months after its first inoculation. The inoculation material was biopsied from the patient of eighteen year-old girl, whose clinical and histopathological diagnosis was erythema induratum. From the result of this study, we got the strong confidence that in spite of many authors powerful countertheories and the extremely poor harvesting of its culture, the erythema induratum can be or in evidently caused from mycobacterium tuberculosis. It may be early days yet to say that erythema induratum is originated fromtubercle bacilli but it is considered to be a truth in Korea, with the result of this study.

MeSH Terms

Adrenal Cortex Hormones
Animals
Arteries
Bacillus
Diagnosis
Erythema
Erythema Induratum
Fat Necrosis
Female
Guinea Pigs
Humans
Incubators
Korea
Lichens
Lupus Vulgaris
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Phenolsulfonphthalein
Procaine
Skin*
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, Cutaneous*
Vasculitis
Veins
Adrenal Cortex Hormones
Phenolsulfonphthalein
Procaine