Abstract
Silica exposure and silicosis are strongly associated with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), with ex-miners from the South African gold mines carrying a large burden of both diseases. We present a case of lymph node silicosis and recurrent TB complicated by cavitation with aspergilloma requiring right upper lobectomy, in a 38-year-old ex-goldminer with only 19 months of silica exposure. While silicosis was detected histologically in the lymph nodes, radiological findings and histopathological lung parenchyma lesions were consistent with inactive TB. A worker’s compensation claim for silicotuberculosis was unsuccessful. The findings highlight the need to take into account the contribution of subradiological silicosis and/or a low silica exposure threshold to increased TB risk, and the persistence of such TB risk following exit from exposure. The case also demonstrates the need to differentiate between the radiological and pathological features of silicosis and TB, and the possible mechanistic role of lymph node silicosis in increasing TB risk. These considerations have relevance to the surveillance of silica-exposed workers in high TB settings and the potential to reduce TB risk through silica dust control.