Volume 224 - Published ahead of Issue 11
Peritoneal Tuberculosis and Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia: A Case of Hickam's Dictum
Authors: Zayn Al-Timimi, Gem Chew, Martin Browne, Christiaan Mostert
Correspondence: z.al-timimi@unsw.edu.au
Med J Aust 2026 || doi: 10.5694/mja2.70326
Published online: 27 October 2026
Published online: 27 October 2026
Abstract
We report the case of a 34-year-old male with persistent fever, ascites, thrombocytosis and clinical deterioration despite broad-spectrum therapy who was ultimately diagnosed with peritoneal tuberculosis and concurrent chronic myeloid leukaemia. Initial investigations, including interferon-γ release assay and ascitic acid-fast bacilli, were negative, highlighting the limited sensitivity of traditional testing in extrapulmonary disease. Diagnosis required molecular testing and adenosine deaminase measurement, with delayed confirmation by culture. Bone marrow aspirate and trephine, pursued to broaden the differential diagnosis, revealed a Philadelphia chromosome. This case underscores the need for sustained diagnostic vigilance, multimodal investigation and avoidance of diagnostic parsimony.
Barriers and Facilitators to Timely Detection and Optimal Management of Chronic Wet Cough in Aboriginal Children Across Australia From the Perspectives of Carers of Aboriginal Children: A Qualitative Study
Gloria T. Y. Lau, Pam Laird, Robyn Aitken, Melanie Barwick, Liam Bedford, Emily R. Bowden, Jamie Everingham, Angela Fuery, Reece Griffin, Neha Jain, Mina Kinghorn, Renae Knapp, Gabrielle B. McCallum, Peter Morris, Richard Norman, Peter C. Richmond, Aarti Saiganesh, Slade Sibosado, Cameron Taylor, Maree Toombs, Roz Walker, Joan Wilson, Anne B. Chang, André Schultz
Barriers and Facilitators to Timely Detection and Optimal Management of Chronic Wet Cough in Aboriginal Children Across Australia From the Perspective of Health Care Providers: A Qualitative Study
Gloria T. Y. Lau, Pamela Laird, Robyn Aitken, Melanie Barwick, Liam Bedford, Emily R. Bowden, Corey Dalton, Jamie Everingham, Angela Fuery, Reece Griffin, Neha Jain, Mina Kinghorn, Renae Knapp, Gabrielle B. McCallum, Peter Morris, Richard Norman, Peter C. Richmond, Aarti Saiganesh, Slade Sibosado, Maree Toombs, Roz Walker, Joan Wilson, Anne B. Chang, André Schultz
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease Burden and Evidence Gaps in Australia Before Immunisation Introduction: A Retrospective Population-Based Study Using 2016–2019 Hospitalisation and 2023 Laboratory Surveillance Data
Chisato Imai-Boulter, Jean Li-Kim-Moy, Clayton Chiu, Sanjay Jayasinghe, Kristine Macartney
Not Gone but Often Forgotten: Action Needed to Address Tuberculosis in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
Nikkita Joshua, Emma L. Smith, Eunice (Cheeky) Love, Christopher P. Lowbridge, Nicole Tukana, Amy Bowden, Megan A. Campbell, Dawn Casey, James Ward
Uneven Ground: Survival Differences Among Victorian Lung Cancer Patients by Location of Residence (2011–2023): A Retrospective Cohort Study
Evangeline Samuel, Eldho Paul, Mike Lloyd, Sanuki Tissera, Craig Underhill, Sagun Parakh, Phillip Parente, Inger Olesen, Javier Torres, Katharine See, Gavin M. Wright, David Langton, Thomas John, Matthew Conron, James Bartlett, Nicola Atkin, Nikolajs Zeps, Susan V. Harden, Wasek Faisal, John R. Zalcberg, Rob G. Stirling
Treatment and Survival Outcomes for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians Within the Victorian Lung Cancer Registry: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Cohort Study
Melanie Wong, Mike Lloyd, Jessie Zeng, Sanuki Tissera, Kalinda E. Griffiths, Justine Clark, Jonathan Gillies, Lisa Briggs, Jacqueline Lesage, Tom Wood, Craig Underhill, Sagun Parakh, Louis B. Irving, Wasek Faisal, Rob Blum, Gary E. Richardson, Phillip Parente, Michelle Caldecott, Inger Olesen, Javier Torres, Evangeline Samuel, Christopher Lyne, Katharine See, David Langton, Thomas John, Gavin Wright, Matthew Conron, James Bartlett, Golsa Adabi, Maggie Moore, Susan Harden, Zoe K. McQuilten, John R. Zalcberg, Rob Stirling