Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.,
Volume 160, Number 4, October 1999, 1366-1368
Pulmonary Nodule due to Mycobacterium haemophilum
in an Immunocompetent Host
DOROTHY A.
WHITE,
TIMOTHY E.
KIEHN,
ANNA Y.
BONDOC,
and
SUSAN A.
MASSARELLA
Pulmonary and Microbiology Services, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell University College of Medicine,
New York, New York
We present a case of a pulmonary nodular lesion in an immunocompetent patient documented at
open lung biopsy to be due to Mycobacterium haemophilum. This organism has recently been recognized as a cause of disease in immunocompromised patients, presenting predominantly as skin lesions, arthritis, and rarely pneumonia. Because this mycobacterium is fastidious and difficult to grow without the use of special media and conditions, our case raises the possibility that M. haemophilum
could be an underrecognized cause of granulomatous pulmonary lesions and should be considered particularly in cases where smears for acid-fast bacteria are positive but cultures are negative.
