Vulvar Tuberculosis-A Rare Manifestation of the Disease

Abstract Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. According to data from the World Health Organization, this disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Although it most commonly affects the lungs, tuberculosis can compromise any organ. The present study reports a rare case of vulvar tuberculosis in a postmenopausal woman with a history of asymptomatic pulmonary and pleural tuberculosis, with no prior documented contact with the bacillus. Diagnosis was based on vulvar lesion biopsies, with histological findings suggestive of infection and isolation of M. tuberculosis by microbiological culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) essays. The lesions reverted to normal after tuberculostatic therapy.摘要：结核病是由结核分枝杆菌（Mycobacterium tuberculosis）引发的传染性疾病。据世界卫生组织（World Health Organization）统计数据显示，该病仍是全球范围内主要的致死病因之一。尽管结核病最常侵袭肺部，但它可累及人体任何器官。本研究报告1例罕见的绝经后女性外阴结核病病例，该患者有无症状性肺及胸膜结核病史，且既往无明确的结核分枝杆菌接触史。诊断依据为外阴病变活检，组织病理学结果提示感染，并通过微生物培养与聚合酶链反应（polymerase chain reaction，PCR）检测分离出结核分枝杆菌。经抗结核治疗后，病变恢复正常。