Mycobacterial bacilli in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded breast tissue specimens of patients histologically diagnosed with breast carcinoma

Tuberculosiss (TB) of breast, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a rare disease and often mimics breast cancer. The smallness and paucity of tubercle bacilli in the tissue section make it very arduous and time-consuming to search for them in stained tissue sections. This present study was performed to investigate the usefulness of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) staining in determining breast tuberculosis in breast biopsy specimens of patients histologically diagnosed with breast carcinoma (Bca). Ziehl-Neelsen staining was done for acid-fast bacilli on 333 formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded sections of breast tissue blocks. Mycobacterial tubercle bacilli were seen in only 2 (0.6%) of the 333 specimens. This study reveals that the Ziehl Neelson stain can be a valuable tool in diagnosing extrapumonary TB in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens.