Mycobacterial Cervical Lymphadenopathy

Abstract
Age-related differences in etiology were examined in 214 instances of mycobacterial cervical lymphadenopathy. In adults,Mycobacterium tuberculosiswas isolated from 147 lymph nodes and "atypical" mycobacteria was isolated from seven nodes. In contrast,M tuberculosiswas isolated from only five nodes from children while other mycobacteria were isolated from 55 nodes.Mycobacterium tuberculosisclearly preponderates as the cause of mycobacterial cervical adenitis in adults while other mycobacteria are the cause of most cervical adenitis in children. The preponderance ofMycobacterium avium-intracellularein cervical adenitis in children contrasts with reports ofMycobacterium scrofulaceumas the most frequent causative agent in other geographic areas and may reflect either a change in causative agents or geographic differences. However, the finding ofM tuberculosisin 8% of nodes indicates that other mycobacteria cannot be assumed to be the only cause of this disease in children. (JAMA1984;251:1286-1288)

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