title: Survey of mycobacteria isolated from urine and the genitourinary tract in south-east England from 1980 to 1989.
abstract: Between 1980 and 1989, the Public Health Laboratory Service Regional Tuberculosis Centre, Dulwich, received cultures of mycobacteria isolated from urine and the genitourinary tract of 1392 new patients: 803 isolates were members of the tuberculosis complex (753 M. tuberculosis, 45 M. bovis, 4 M. africanum) and 589 were various species of environmental mycobacteria. The incidence of the latter isolations varied by region and by year and, with 17 exceptions (13 from endometrial curettings, 2 from hydrocele fluid, 1 from a scrotal abscess and 1 from a kidney), all isolations of environmental mycobacteria were from urine; very few of them appeared to be clinically significant. Those that could be significant included 1 isolate from a kidney, 1 from a post-renal transplant patient and 4 from patients with AIDS, 3 of whom had disseminated mycobacterial disease. Reports of clinically significant isolations of environmental mycobacteria from the genitourinary tract are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, National Heart and Lung Institute, Royal Brompton Hospital, London.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Grange
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Yates
mesh_terms: D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology; D014566:Urogenital System / Q000382:microbiology*