Unmasked: when a clinically malignant disease turns out infectious. A rare case of tularemia

Int J Surg Pathol. 2013 Feb;21(1):76-81. doi: 10.1177/1066896912448424. Epub 2012 Jun 6.

Abstract

This article reports on a 62-year-old man, who presented with cervical mass and rather nonspecific symptoms. The medical history and clinical workup initially favored a malignant disease such as a carcinoma of unknown primary as the underlying cause. Eventually, the patient was diagnosed with a granulomatous lymphadenitis caused by Francisella tularensis subsp holarctica. Tularemia is a rare disease in Western Europe and can present in multiple ways encompassing almost asymptomatic infections and fatal disease. A rapid diagnosis is often hampered by nonspecific symptoms and the generally low prevalence and incidence of this disease in endemic countries. This case report also provides a comprehensive review of the literature on cervical tularemia and discusses the differential diagnoses.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • DNA, Bacterial / analysis
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Doxycycline / therapeutic use
  • Francisella tularensis / genetics
  • Francisella tularensis / isolation & purification
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms / secondary
  • Humans
  • Lymphadenitis / diagnosis*
  • Lymphadenitis / etiology
  • Lymphadenitis / microbiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neck
  • Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / diagnosis*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Tularemia / complications
  • Tularemia / diagnosis*
  • Tularemia / drug therapy
  • Tularemia / microbiology

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Doxycycline