
M. E. Soto et al. / Health 3 (2011) 159-161
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. Openly accessi ble at http://www.scirp.org/journal/HEALTH/
404
331
242
190
147
123
11 0
Figure 3. The nitrate silver stained amplification
product of M. tuberculosis was electrophoresed on
nondenaturing 10% polyacrilamide gel. The 123
product obtained for M. tuberculosis is indicated by
the arrow. Lanes: molecu l ar si ze mar ker; 1: DN A of ba-
cillus of mycobacterium in the aorta of c as e ; 2 and 3: M.
tuberculosis DNA H37Rv taken from ce l lula r cultur e .
rare in men; the relation in Mexico is of 6:1 [7]. Al-
though rare in men, the arterial damage progression is
similar. Mycobacterium tuberculosis induces a dominant
cellular immune response, similar to that observed in
extra- pulmonary tuberculosis. It is feasible that, in TA,
arteries are the target organs, which has been demon-
strated when the pulmonary arteries are reached by the
right blood c ir c ulation [12].
For more than five decades, TA has been related with
tuberculosis infection, this is still controversial because
findings differ; in isolated cases coincidence has been
reported [11]. Recently, a prospective study pointed out
that there is no evidence for the association with Myco-
bacterium tuberculosis in tissues of injured arteries ob-
tained by biopsy [9].
This case presents a man without a previous history of
either arteritis o r tuberculosis; the repor ted clinical signs
and symptoms were compatible with TA, although no
imaging study was performed, the histopathological study
was made, and the latter is the gold standard for the di-
agnosis of TA.
The diagnostic suspicion and its correct classification
are necessary as a relevant initial methodology to study
the re la tion of TA with infection.
On the other side, the search for M. tuberculosis
through culture, specific stains, and modern molecular
biology techniques, which have shown diagnostic use-
fulness, could provide more reliable results for this asso-
ciation.
6. CONCLUSION
This case shows a relation of Takayasu’s arter itis with
infection b y Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and one o f the
diverse forms of initial clinical manifestation, in the Ta-
kayasu’s arteritis. These findings must be evaluated by
means of systematic studies that would allow the repro-
ducibility o f the similar results under the same consensus
of search, with molecular techniques used in the tax-
onomic studies of complex M. tuberculosis.
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