1999 Volume 74 Issue 10 Pages 715-719
A 49-year-old male was admitted to our hospital complaining of cough and general fatigue. There was nothing unusual about his past history, and he has been healthy. On admission, a chest roentogenogram revealed an infiltrative shadow with a cavity in the left middle and lower fields. Because the acid fast staining of a bronchoscopic specimen was positive for mycobacteria, he was transferred to another hospital to be treated as pulmonary tuberculosis. Culture tests of multiple specimens were positive, and were identified as Mycobacterium szulgai, and the case was diagnosed as pulmonary atypical mycobacteriosis caused by M. szulgai. He was treated with isoniazid, rifampicin and ethambutol daily, but because of side effects, such as drug eruptions, all drugs were stopped. However, his clinical symptoms and infiltration shadow improved gradually.
We described a rare case of pulmonary disease with Mycobacterium szulgai infection appearing in a healthy male without underlying diseases.