[Clinical evaluation on isolation of Mycobacterium kansasii in our hospital].
METHODS
We retrospectively evaluated 49 cases from whom Mycobacterium kansasii (MK) was isolated from 1992 to 2001 in our hospital.


RESULTS
The annual numbers of MK patients have increased. One of the clinical characteristics of patients in our cases was relatively low rate of cavitary lesions. In 13 patients who had not fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of MK infection, the clinical disease due to MK did not appear at all during observation period ranging one month to ten years.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that MK isolation from clinical specimens is not always considered clinically significant, but may be colonization.
Inoue
Tetsuro
T
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tenri Hospital, Nara, Japan. tetsuinoue@tenriyorozu-hp.or.jp
Tanaka
Eisaku
E
Kato
Terufumi
T
Sakuramoto
Minoru
M
Maeda
Yuji
Y
Maniwa
Ko
K
Taguchi
Yoshio
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D019909:Mycobacterium kansasii / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis