CHRONIC DESTRUCTIVE LUNG-DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH A NOVEL MYCOBACTERIUM

A woman born in 1920 has suffered from a chronic destructive lung dise ase since 1972, with development of a severe combined restrictive and obstructive ventilatory defect. Large quantities of acid-fast microorg anisms have been repeatedly observed in her sputum. Multiple courses o f antimycobacterial treatment did not stop the progression of the dise ase. The mycobacterium involved was first identified as Mycobacterium gordonae, and later as Mycobacterium scrofulaceum. Analysis of part of the amplified gene of the 16S rRNA, however, revealed that its sequen ce differed from that of any established mycobacterial species, althou gh it was observed once before in a German lymph node isolate, for whi ch the name ''Mycobacterium interjectum'' has been proposed. Retrospec tive analysis confirmed the presence of this sequence in frozen sample s which had been provided by the patient in 1983, 1985, 1989, 1990, an d 1993. Our case confirms the value of amplification and sequencing of mycobacterial 16S rRNA for classifying mycobacteria, and suggests tha t ''Mycobaoterium interjectum'' may be involved in cases of chronic de structive lung disease.