Unmasking the Hidden Invader: A case report of chest wall tuberculosis presenting as an abscess

Chest wall tuberculosis is a very rare clinical entity that accounts for 1 -5% of musculoskeletal tuberculosis (TB). Here we present a case of chest wall TB. A 16 -year -old boy presented with complaints of progressive increasing swelling over the right hemithorax following a history of trauma. Radiologically it was a localized liquid collection with no connection to the thoracic cavity. Pus sample was sent to the mycobacteriology laboratory. The Gene Xpert result came as positive, and sensitive to rifampicin while the acid -fast bacilli (AFB) smear test was negative. Diagnosing a case of chest wall TB is always challenging for clinicians.