Primary Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis in a Surgeon Secondary to a Needlestick Injury: A Neglected Problem

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are highly at risk for tuberculosis (TB) exposure, particularly those in high TB burden countries. Inoculation TB secondary to needlestick injury is uncommon but can occur in HCWs. Herein, we report an unusual case of primary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in a surgeon secondary to a needlestick injury while performing thoracentesis on a TB patient, and the surgeon recovered and returned to work after 22 months of anti-TB treatment. We searched the PubMed database and identified 19 cases of inoculation TB secondary to sharp injury in HCWs including the present case. Those cases highlight that primary inoculation of TB even MDR-TB infection should not be neglected in patients suffered needlestick injury when the sharp instrument suspected or confirmed contaminated with TB. In this situation, if the HCWs need for additional protection or prophylactic anti-TB is worthy of further study.