Disseminated tuberculosis in an HIV-infected child: rifampicin resistance detected by GeneXpert in a lymph node aspirate but not in cerebrospinal fluid

A 9-year-old HIV-infected child previously treated with inadequate doses of antitubercular drugs based on weight was admitted 5 months after initial tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis with acute hemiplegia and inguinal lymphadenopathies in a rural hospital in Tanzania. He was diagnosed with TB meningitis and lymphadenitis using Xpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis/rifampicin (MTB/RIF) assay. Rifampicin resistance was detected in the lymph node aspirate but not in the cerebrospinal fluid. His TB therapy was optimised based on available medications and antiretroviral treatment was initiated 6 weeks later. Despite these efforts, the clinical evolution was poor and the child died 12 weeks after admission.