A 45-year old male of Greenlandic origin was admitted to the acute medical ward at a university hospital in Copenhagen in May 2010 with a productive cough, weight loss and general malaise of one-week duration. He had a medical history of severe sero-negative RA and Bechterew’s disease, and was being treated with PSL 5 mg daily, Methotrexate (MTX) 12.5 mg weekly and Infliximab (INF) infusions every 8 weeks. The patient was born and raised in Greenland, had moved to Denmark 13 years ago, and socialised within the Greenlandic community Selleckchem SRT1720 in Copenhagen. The patient had previously been known to have an alcohol abuse, but denied any current drug

or substance abuse. Vital parameters upon admission showed a normal blood pressure (119/80), a respiratory rate of 14, CP868596 tachycardia

(pulse 90) and subfebrility (temp. 37.7 °C). Clinical examination revealed pallor and cold sweating. Chest examination revealed a dampened percussion over the basal right lung field with reduced breath sounds upon auscultation. Abdominal examination found epigastric tenderness. Routine laboratory investigations revealed elevated leucocytes 10.3 (reference: 3.0–9.0), thrombocytosis of 522 (reference: 140–340), sodium 130 (reference: 136–146) and CRP 241 (reference: <10). Chest X-ray found a right-sided basal infiltrate and pleural effusion (see Fig. 1A and B). A tentative diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia was made and intravenous Cefuroxime treatment was initiated. Sputum and blood cultures were later found negative for bacteria and fungi. Direct microscopy of sputum and pleural fluid were both found negative for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. In the following days the patient’s clinical condition deteriorated with tachypnoea (respiratory much rate 35–40), rising body temperature (39–40 °C) and sinus-tachycardia (rate 100–120). Medication was altered to intravenous Meropenem. One-week later, another sputum test was analysed for M. tuberculosis; this was also microscopy negative, but was found positive using nucleic acid

amplification (NAA) testing. A gastric lavage fluid sample was at the same time also found positive both through direct microscopy and NAA testing. Anti-tuberculous treatment was started immediately. The sputum sample revealed growth of fully sensitive M. tuberculosis after several weeks’ culture. The patient recovered slowly and was discharged after three weeks. Two days later, the patient was re-hospitalised in a weakened, febrile state and with radiological progression of residual pleural effusion; he was discharged after three weeks. Prior to initiating INF treatment in September 2009, the outpatient rheumatology clinic that followed the patient had tested him for LTBI using TST, chest X-ray and QFT.