[Chylous ascites, a revealing sign of peritoneal tuberculosis in an 11-month-old infant].

Chylous ascites is rare in children. We report on a case of chylous ascites in an 1-month-old infant in Togo. The infant had been appropriately vaccinated, had normal growth and psychomotor development, and he was living in a rural area. He had fever that had started 3 months earlier and persisted despite various treatments with antimalarials and antibiotics. Then progressively abdominal pain with abdominal distension developed, while lactescent ascites was discovered after puncture. The patient was referred to the Lomé teaching hospital for advanced management. Intradermic reaction to tuberculin (IRD) was positive (16 mm). Chylous ascites liquid analysis revealed apparently lymphocytic pleocytosis. Culture on special milieu allowed isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The clinical course was favorable with antituberculosis treatment. Peritoneal tuberculosis should be suspected in endemic areas in the case of a persistent fever with abdominal bloating and effusion, whatever the patient's age and the nature of ascites liquid.