A 77-year-old man (stonemason) was referred to our hospital because of the presence of abnormal shadow in chest roentgenogram and detection of acid-fast bacilli from sputum. Since one year prior to admission the patient has been complaining of an increase in productive cough, which appeared several years ago, and of an additional exertional dyspnea. One week prior to admission the patient suddenly suffered from herpes zoster and consulted a local doctor.
Chest roentgenograms and tomograms on admission revealed a wide variety of giant bullae and a marked thickening of their walls. Mycobacterium scrofulaceum was repeatedly isolated from sputa. These results suggest Mycobaterium scrofulaceum lung infection associated with giant bullae. Although Mycobacterium scrofulaceum was resistant to RFP, sputum converted to negative by the use of intensive chemotherapy with INH, EB, RFP and SM for two months.
