Microbiology of cutaneous tuberculosis.

Detailed bacteriological characteristics including drug sensitivity of 12 mycobacteria isolated from 51 cases of different types of cutaneous tuberculosis were studied; no mycobacterium could be isolated from remaining 39 cases. Nine were identified as M. tuberculosis and 3 as 'anonymous' mycobacteria. Acquired resistance to one or more than one drug (streptomycin, isoniazid, PAS and thiacetazone) was observed in 3 out of 9 strains of M. tuberculosis. All the 'anonymous' strains were resistant to all the drugs except ethionamide and ethambutol.