Clinical Study of Atypical Mycobacteriosis

We compared the clinical features of eight patients with atyical mycobaterium infection treated at our hospital between 1989 and 1991 with those of 18 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis who presented positive culture during the same period. The type of atypical mycobacteriosis was mycobacterium avium complex infection in 7 patients and mycobacterium kansasii infection in one. The patients with atypical mycobacteriosis presented mild subjective symptoms, and almost all had a preexisting lung dissease. There were no definite differences between atypical mycobacteriosis and pulmonary tuberculosis in roentgenographic features, and we considered that the low infectivity of atypical mycobacteriosis was reflected by the roentgenographic findings. Half of the patients with atypical mycobacterium infection showed negative culture during the early period of antituberculosis treatment. On the other hand, in the remaining patients antituberculosis had no effect on culture result, in two culture remained positive. It has been reported that, atypical mycobacteriosis, mycobacterium avium complex infection is often not affected by chemotherapy. In this infection, it is important to distinguish between the primary and secondary types of infection. In the secondary type of infection which develops as sequela to a preexisting lung disease, it is important to treat the underlying disease and to increase the patient's immunoresistance during chemotherapy. We do not consider a negative culture to be a necessary treatment outcome.

非定型抗酸菌症

肺結核症

X線CT

化学療法