Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Vol 150, No. 1, 07 1994, 261-265.
Chronic destructive lung disease associated with a novel mycobacterium
S Emler, T Rochat, P Rohner, C Perrot, R Auckenthaler, L Perrin and B Hirschel
Division of Infectious Diseases, Hopital Cantonal Universitaire, Geneva, Switzerland.
A woman born in 1920 has suffered from a chronic destructive lung disease
since 1972, with development of a severe combined restrictive and
obstructive ventilatory defect. Large quantities of acid-fast
microorganisms have been repeatedly observed in her sputum. Multiple
courses of antimycobacterial treatment did not stop the progression of the
disease. The mycobacterium involved was first identified as Mycobacterium
gordonae, and later as Mycobacterium scrofulaceum. Analysis of part of the
amplified gene of the 16S rRNA, however, revealed that its sequence
differed from that of any established mycobacterial species, although it
was observed once before in a German lymph node isolate, for which the name
"Mycobacterium interjectum" has been proposed. Retrospective analysis
confirmed the presence of this sequence in frozen samples which had been
provided by the patient in 1983, 1985, 1989, 1990, and 1993. Our case
confirms the value of amplification and sequencing of mycobacterial 16S
rRNA for classifying mycobacteria, and suggests that "Mycobacterium
interjectum" may be involved in cases of chronic destructive lung disease.
