Congenital tuberculosis: an underdiagnosed entity.

Congenital tuberculosis is an infrequently encountered condition although tuberculosis per se is continuing to be a major public health problem in our country. Among the few cases reported from our country, five were proven cases while one was of probable congenital tuberculosis (l-6). The age at time of diagnosis as well as the clinical picture of each of these cases was different and in all but two cases the outcome was fatal. Considering this, one needs to have a high index of suspicion to make the diagnosis. The clinical presentation of congenital tuberculosis is vari 1 -able (7) and a clinician may overlook the diagnosis unless one specifically looks for some definitive clues on history, examination and investigations. We report here two cases of congenital tuberculosis with unusual clinical presentations.