RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OCCURRENCE OF NEGATIVE CONVERSION AND TUBERCULIN REACTIVITY IN LUNG DISEASE DUE TO MYCOBACTERIUM INTRACELLULARE

Abstract

Prognosis (negative conversion of bacilli occurs or does not occur) in lung disease due to Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare (M. intracellulare) has been suggested to depend on tuberculin reactivity. In 8 patients, in whom tuberculin reactivity to M. intracellulare tuber culin was greater than to M. tuberculosis tuberculin, negative conversion occurred in only one patient. On the other hand, in 3 patients, in whom tuberculin reactivity to M. intracellulare tuberculin was smaller than to M. tuberculosis tuberculin, negative conversion occurred in all 3 patients. In all 11 patients, various antituberculous agents were used in the course of observations, but the agents were considered to be practically ineffective to the organisms, as the organisms were resistant to the agents in the drug resistance tests. Negative conversion was considered to have occurred as a process of natural healing. The rate of negative conversion was significantly different between the above two groups.