Borderline tuberculoid leprosy misdiagnosed as erysipelas: A case report and literature review.

Diagn Microbiol Infect DisApr 18, 2026 (epub)

Qian Zhang, Huijing Zheng, Yu Liu et al.

✦ AI-curated · Sources linked

Case in brief

A 51-year-old woman presented with a 20-day history of erythema, swelling, numbness, and pain in her right upper limb, initially diagnosed as erysipelas. After no improvement with treatment, a repeat skin smear revealed Mycobacterium leprae, leading to a revised diagnosis of leprosy, confirmed by histopathological examination and a positive acid-fast stain.

Diagnostic / clinical pearl

Clinicians should be aware that a negative smear does not rule out leprosy; repeat testing and histopathological correlation are essential when clinical suspicion remains high.

Source

Published in Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. This summary was written by xxcode from the publication's abstract and metadata. It is not peer reviewed and is not a substitute for the original article. For clinical decisions, review the original publication.

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