Buruli ulcer in an AIDS patient.

Buruli ulcer is a mycobacterial skin ulcer caused by  Mycobacterium ulcerans , an acid-fast bacillus 3 - 6 μm long and 0.2 - 0.35 μm wide. It was first described in Australia. The name buruli ulcer derives from the Buruli district of Uganda where the disease was largely investigated. The lesions occur chiefly on the legs or arms. The diagnosis is made bacteriologically by finding the acid-fast mycobacteria in necrotic granulation tissue of the ulcer.1-4 The association between Buruli skin ulcers and HIV infection has not yet been documented although skin ulcers caused by M. chelonei have been reported in an immunocompromised child. The following case report describes a patient with HIV infection associated with a mycobacterial skin ulcer caused by M. ulcerans.