Role of Bacteriological Agents in Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis: Real or Not?

Abstract

Objective: Granulomatous mastitis is a rare, benign, chronic inflammatory disease of the breast of unknown etiology. This study evaluated bacteriologicagents that might play a role in the etiology of granulomatous mastitis using a molecular method with a universal primer after isolatingdeoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from pathology specimens from patients diagnosed with granulomatous mastitis.Materials and Methods: Breast biopsy material in the pathology department obtained between July 2008 and June 2013 was analyzed. Thehistory of the granulomatous mastitis patients was examined in detail and paraffin block sections of the biopsy material were used to determine thepresence of bacteria with a universal DNA primer.Results: This study examined 45 granulomatous mastitis patients who had been diagnosed using excisional, incisional, or core biopsies. We evaluatedmultiple bacterial taxa, but obtained no positive result using a nucleic-acid-based assay with a universal primer.Conclusion: The etiology of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis remains unclear. Further studies with a large number of patients should aim toidentify the causative agent.