Primary Tubercular Abscess of the Axilla—a Rare Case

Tuberculosis can be broadly classified as pulmonary and extrapulmonary. Though pulmonary tuberculosis is the most common presentation, extrapulmonary tuberculosis is also an important entity. A tubercular cold abscess secondary to involvement of an adjacent bone or suppuration of lymph nodes is a well-known entity; however, a primary cold abscess is rare. We report a case of a young girl who presented with an axillary swelling which turned out to be a primary tubercular abscess of the axilla. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a primary tubercular abscess presenting in the axilla. A primary tubercular abscess, though rare, should be considered as a possible diagnosis in appropriate clinical settings backed by evidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in form of AFB microscopy, L-J culture, BACTEC culture, or PCR test.