Disseminated tuberculosis in a lung transplant recipient presenting as tenosynovitis, subcutaneous nodules, and liver abscesses

Ther Adv Infect Dis. 2022 Oct 20:9:20499361221132153. doi: 10.1177/20499361221132153. eCollection 2022 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Tuberculosis is of particular concern in lung transplant recipients. We present the case of a patient who received a double lung transplant from a deceased donor from Mexico and developed disseminated tuberculosis 60 days post-transplant manifested as tenosynovitis, liver abscesses, and subcutaneous nodules with no definitive lung allograft involvement. The recipient did not have evidence of tuberculosis on explanted lungs, had a negative interferon gamma release assay pre-transplant, and did not have risk factors for this infection. Mycobacterium tuberculosis should remain in the differential diagnosis of early post-transplant infections with atypical presentations, evidence of dissemination, or lack of improvement with appropriate antimicrobial coverage, even in the absence of typical lung findings.

Keywords: lung transplant; mycobacterium infections; organ donation; tenosynovitis; tuberculosis; tuberculosis screening.

Publication types

  • Case Reports