SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OF PULMONARY INFECTION DUE TO MYCOBACTERIUM-CHELONAE - CASE-REPORT AND REVIEW

During the past decade, Mycobacterium chelonae has been recognized with increasing frequency as a pulmonary pathogen. A review of previously reported cases reveals that most patients with pulmonary infections due to M. chelonae are nonimmunosuppressed but have underlying chronic lung disease. The infection is notably absent among blacks. M. chelonae organisms are characterized by a high degree of in vitro resistance to antituberculous drugs, and attempts at eradicating the organism through chemotherapy have been largely unsuccessful. The case of a 63-year-old previously healthy woman with progressive bilateral pulmonary disease due to M. chelonae is reported; she was treated successfully with a combination of cefoxitin and orally administered ciprofloxacin. Our experience supports the use of quinolones in combination with other active agents for the treatment of pulmonary infection due to M. chelonae.