A case of disseminated Mycobacterium colombiense infection with anti-interferon-γ antibodies
Yoshihiko Ono Masatsugu Yamamoto Mizuki Kohama Asuka Yoshizaki Kazuyuki Kobayashi Yoshihiro Nishimura
Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine
Disseminated nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection is known as an opportunistic infection among patients with congenital or acquired immunodeficiency. But recently several reports in the literature have described a link between anti-interferon-γ antibodies and disseminated non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis. Here we report a case of disseminated Mycobacterium colombiense infection which seems to be associated with anti-interferon-γ antibodies. The patient was a 68-year-old woman who presented with fever, cough, and left shoulder pain. She was treated by antibacterial drugs, but there was no improvement in her symptoms. Corticosteroid administration improved her symptoms. After tapering and withdrawing corticosteroids, she developed fever again and subcutaneous abscesses in the front of her chest. M. colombiense was detected in abscess culture, blood culture, and sputum culture. She was diagnosed with a disseminated NTM infection. While she had not suffered from an immunodeficiency disease or shown any AIDS symptoms, she was positive for anti-interferon-γ antibodies which appeared to be associated with her illness.
Disseminated non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis Anti-interferon-γ antibody
Received 30 Jan 2018 / Accepted 6 Mar 2018
AJRS, 7(3): 166-170, 2018