Table of Contents
Definition / general | Case reports | Treatment | Microscopic (histologic) description | Cytology description | Additional referencesCite this page: DePond WD. bCG. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/lymphnodesbcg.html. Accessed January 23rd, 2021.
Definition / general
- Post vaccination bacille Calmette-Guerin infection occurs in 1% of infants, although swelling usually subsides (Braz J Med Biol Res 2004;37:697)
- Patients with normal immunity have complete recovery after postvaccination bCG infection after excision of infected lymph node; immunosuppressed patients may require antiTB therapy to avoid fatal disseminated infection (Am J Clin Pathol 2000;113:703)
Case reports
- 3 month old Chinese baby with post bcg vaccination lymphadenitis (Arch Dis Child 2004;89:812)
- 68 year old man with cervical lymphadenitis post-bCG for bladder cancer (Respiration 2001;68:420)
Treatment
- Surgery for large (3 cm) nodes, anti-TB therapy for small (1 cm) nodes (J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 2005;17:16)
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Patients with normal immunity: multiple epithelioid granulomas and Langhans giant cells; variable suppuration, minimal caseous necrosis, few acid fast bacteria identified with Ziehl-Neelsen stain
- Immunosuppressed patients: histiocytes with abundant gray cytoplasm containing numerous acid fast bacilli, plump nuclei
Cytology description
- Poorly to moderately cellular smears of epithelioid histiocytes in a granuloma pattern with occasional multinucleated Langerhans type giant cells, lymphocytes and neutrophils
- Background is finely granular with necrotic debris
- Isolated calcified spherules (Diagn Cytopathol 2001;25:134)
- May be heavy involvement of acid fast bacilli (World J Surg Oncol 2003;1:25)
Additional references
