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The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
Online ISSN:
1476-1645
  • Figure 1.
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    Figure 1.

    Well-defined linear ulcer on the left ear auricle showing a “rat-bitten” appearance, along with infiltrated ear lobules.

  • Figure 2.
    View in gallery
    Figure 2.

    Slit-skin smear from the ear lobule showing acid-fast bacilli.

Figure 1.

Well-defined linear ulcer on the left ear auricle showing a “rat-bitten” appearance, along with infiltrated ear lobules.

Figure 2.

Slit-skin smear from the ear lobule showing acid-fast bacilli.

  • 1.

    Bhat R, Sharma VK, Deka RC, 2007. Otorhinolaryngologic manifestations of leprosy. Int J Dermatol 46: 600–606.

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A “Rat-Bitten” Ulcer on the Pinna

Akanksha KaushikDepartment of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

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Sunil DograDepartment of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

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Tarun NarangDepartment of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.19-0495
Volume/Issue:
Volume 101: Issue 5
Page(s):
957
Open access
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A 37-year old man presented with a 20 day history of painless ulcer on the left ear. The ulcer developed spontaneously without preceding trauma. On examination, a well-defined linear ulcer with violaceous margins and yellowish base was present on the left auricle (Figure 1). The ear lobes were infiltrated and there was associated loss of eyebrows bilaterally. Neurological examination revealed thickening of ulnar and radial cutaneous nerves in the upper limbs and common peroneal nerves in the lower limbs with “glove and stocking” paresthesias. Slit-skin smear from the ear lobule revealed a large number of acid-fast bacilli, with bacillary index of 5+ and morphological index of 15% (Figure 2). The patient was diagnosed as lepromatous leprosy (LL) and started on multidrug therapy–multibacillary regimen. After 1 month of starting the therapy, the ulcer had healed with scarring.

Figure 1.
Figure 1.

Well-defined linear ulcer on the left ear auricle showing a “rat-bitten” appearance, along with infiltrated ear lobules.

Citation: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 101, 5; 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0495

Figure 2.
Figure 2.

Slit-skin smear from the ear lobule showing acid-fast bacilli.

Citation: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 101, 5; 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0495

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by an intracellular acid-fast bacillus, Mycobacterium leprae, primarily affecting the skin and peripheral nerves. Lepra bacilli have a propensity to involve cooler parts of the body (earlobes, elbows, etc.). Ear infiltration is a characteristic of LL, with ulceration on the pinna giving a “nibbled” or “rat-bitten” appearance.1 Peripheral nerve trunk involvement as “glove and stocking” pattern occurs in late LL. The differential diagnosis for solitary ulcer on the pinna includes leprosy, lupus vulgaris, basal cell carcinoma, and chondrodermatitis nodularis helicis. Clinical suspicion combined with appropriate investigations can help clinch the diagnosis.

REFERENCE

1.↑

Bhat R, Sharma VK, Deka RC, 2007. Otorhinolaryngologic manifestations of leprosy. Int J Dermatol 46: 600–606.

Author Notes

Address correspondence to Tarun Narang, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Sector 12, Chandigarh, India 160047. E-mail: narangtarun@yahoo.co.in

Authors’ addresses: Akanksha Kaushik, Sunil Dogra, and Tarun Narang, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India, E-mails: akskaushikk@gmail.com, sundogra@hotmail.com, and narangtarun@yahoo.co.in.

Copyright:
© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2019
Received:
02 Jul 2019
|
Accepted:
02 Jul 2019
|
Published Online:
06 Nov 2019
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