title: Pulmonary infection with rapidly growing mycobacteria in a singer with achalasia: a case report.
abstract: We report the case of a 37-year-old male patient with prolonged pneumonia and achalasia. Culture and molecular genetic typing identified Mycobacterium abscessus as causative agent. Treatment with clarithromycin and minocycline over 8 months gradually resolved the infection. Rapidly growing, non-obligate pathogenic mycobacteria are widespread in the environment. Several cases of pulmonary infections with these mycobacteria in patients with achalasia have been reported, suggesting a causative association. This is the first report of a case with isolation of M. abscessus in this context.
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, I. Department of Internal Medicine, Section for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse 74, 20359 Hamburg, Germany. cramer@bni-hamburg.de <cramer@bni-hamburg.de>
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Cramer
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sudeck
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Burchard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004931:Esophageal Achalasia / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009165:Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / Q000382:microbiology*; D009170:Nontuberculous Mycobacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology*