Volume 9, Number 6—June 2003
Research
Histopathologic Features of Mycobacterium ulcerans Infection
Table 1
Histopathologic features evaluated in definitive and suspected Buruli ulcer cases
Location, feature | Comments | |
---|---|---|
Epidermis |
||
Hyperplasia |
Psoriasiform (regular downward elongation of rete ridges), or pseudoepitheliomatous (irregular elongation of rete ridges) |
|
AFBa |
Presence or absence |
|
Dermis |
||
Elastolysis |
Collagen degeneration and necrosis seen as granular blue/purple collagen bundles with H&E stain |
|
Inflammation, type |
Acute (presence of neutrophils), chronic (presence of lymphocytes and macrophages), or granulomatous (presence of multinucleated giant cells and epithelioid histiocytes) |
|
AFB |
Presence or absence |
|
Vascular changes |
Thickening of the media, necrosis, and inflammation of vascular walls |
|
Subcutis |
||
Necrosis |
Coagulative or fat necrosis |
|
Inflammation, type |
Acute (presence of neutrophils), chronic (presence of lymphocytes and macrophages), or granulomatous (presence of multinucleated giant cells and epithelioid histiocytes) |
|
Inflammation, intensity |
Absent, mild (scattered inflammatory cells), or intense (inflammation forming nodules or bands) |
|
AFB | Absent, mild (1–5 AFB seen with 40X objective), moderate (>6 AFB seen with 40X objective), or marked (AFB seen with 20X objective as clumps or colonies) |
aH&E, hematoxylin and eosin stain; AFB, acid-fast bacilli.
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