Multidrug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in cutaneous tuberculosis in China

We describe a male patient who presented with a 2 years history of recurrent ulcers and erythematous plaques on the buttocks. Skin biopsy and tissue culture on Lowenstein Jensen media resulted in the isolation of Mycobacteria, which was further identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) by polymerase chain reaction. The results of drug susceptibility tests showed that the MTB isolated was resistant to isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RIF), ethambutol (ETH) and rifapentine (RFT). During 7 years of follow-up after discharge from hospital admission, the erythematous plaques and atrophic scars remained confined to the patient′s buttocks. This is the first reported case of cutaneous multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in China. Given the increasing incidence of MDR-TB in china, our case report calls for heightened clinical awareness and improved facilities to confirm the diagnosis of MDR-TB.