Fatal generalized BCG histiocytosis.

An infant was vaccinated at the age of 3 days with BCG vaccine. At the age of 3 years 10 months he developed an infection by Salmonella typhimurium. The infection persisted with recurrent episodes of fever, peri-nephritic abscess, abscesses of lymph nodes, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and paravertebral and retro-peritoneal abscesses, from which Salmonella were isolated. At the age of 6 years and 2 months later. At post-mortem examination there were widespread histiocytic nodules in many organs, from which Mycobacterium bovis BCG were cultured. One previous case has been reported from Czechoslovakia. The mother of that child was the sister of the father of the child reported here. It was not possible to investigate the possibility of abnormalities of humoral or cellular immunity in the family.