Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis developing at sites of previous trauma

SummaryWe describe five individuals in whom extra-pulmonary tuberculosis appeared to localise at a site of previous blunt injury. We review other similar case reports where preceding trauma was blunt and non-penetrating, and discuss a possible mechanism involving transport of mycobacteria in monocytes to sites of injury during “latent” tuberculosis infection. This challenges the conventional model proposed for mycobacteria dissemination in tuberculosis disease.