Symmetrically Distributed Orange Eruption on the Ears: A Case of Lupus Vulgaris

Although the incidence and morbidity of tuberculosis (TB) have declined in the latter half of the last decade in the United States, the number of cases of TB (especially cutaneous TB) among those born outside of the United States has increased. This discrepancy can be explained, in part, by the fact that cutaneous TB can have a long latency period in those individuals with a high degree of immunity against the organism. In this report, we describe an individual from a region where there is a relatively high prevalence of tuberculosis who developed lupus vulgaris of the ears many years after arrival to the United States.