Tuberculosis as a Cause of Rapid Salivary Gland Swelling in the Elderly – A Case Report

A 77-year-old man was admitted to the internal medicine department for a 5-day history of progressive preauricular swelling. Two lines of antibiotic treatment failed to achieve any improvement. Fine needle aspiration cytology was conducted and smear staining with the Ziehl-Neelsen stain as well as a PCR test were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These results were confirmed with culture of the sample. A diagnosis of tuberculosis parotitis was made and anti-tuberculous drugs were initiated. LEARNING POINTS: In patients not responding to usual antibiotic treatment, other rare causes of parotitis should be suspected. Fine needle aspiration cytology was an important procedure in establishing the diagnosis.