Pott’s disease in a Colombian indigenous man

Abstract

Approximately 2 million people die each year from tuberculosis. One third of the world’s population is estimated to be infected with the tuberculosis bacillus, although only 5-10% will develop the disease in their lifetime. The disease progression risk depends on endogenous and exogenous factors. Indigenous communities are a high-risk group for infection and development of tuberculosis. In addition to factors such as geographical isolation, social and cultural neglect and malnutrition, susceptibility to genetic polymorphisms has been identified in them. Spinal tuberculosis is the most destructive form of the disease, which represents approximately half of all cases of skeletal tuberculosis.
The case of an HIV negative, indigenous Colombian man is presented. His diagnosis was done based on clinical and image findings, and it was confirmed with the rapid molecular assay Genotype MTBDRplus® and IS6110 PCR.The culture in solid media was negative after 16 weeks.
We briefly discuss the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment. Finally, we comment on some aspects of the situation of tuberculosis among indigenous Colombian communities.