Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Lung Disease Caused by Mycobacterium terrae in a Patient with Bronchiectasis.

Koh, Won Jung; Choi, Go Eun; Lee, Nam Yong; Shin, Sung Jae

doi:2012.72.2.173

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 72(2); 2012 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2012;72(2):173-176.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2012.72.2.173 Published online February 1, 2012.

Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Lung Disease Caused by Mycobacterium terrae in a Patient with Bronchiectasis.

Won Jung Koh, Go Eun Choi, Nam Yong Lee, Sung Jae Shin

¹Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
²Department of Microbiology and Research Institute for Medical Sciences, Infection Signaling Network Research Center, Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea. sjshin@cnu.ac.kr
³Department of Laboratory Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

We report a rare case of lung disease caused by Mycobacterium terrae in a previously healthy woman. A 45-year-old woman was referred to our hospital due to a chronic cough with sputum. A computed tomography scan of the chest revealed bronchiolitis in conjuction with bronchiectasis in both lungs. Nontuberculous mycobacteria were identified and isolated from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid collected from each lung. All isolates were identified as M. terrae by various molecular methods that characterized the rpoB and hsp65 gene sequences. Antibiotic therapy using clarithromycin, rifampin, and ethambutol improved the patient's condition and successfully resulted in sputum conversion.

Key Words: Bronchiectasis, Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous