title: Atypical mycobacterial infection in alpha interferon-treated hairy cell leukaemia.
abstract: A patient whose hairy cell leukaemia had begun to respond to alpha interferon therapy developed overt atypical mycobacterial infection. This eventually responded to combination antimicrobial therapy. The clinical difficulties involved in this unique case included difficulty in isolation of the organism, failure of an empirical trial of antituberculous therapy and false attribution of the patient's infective symptoms to alpha interferon.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D007943:Leukemia, Hairy Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015270:Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D007370:Interferon Type I