AIDS-RELATED MYCOBACTERIUM-KANSASII INFECTION WITH INITIAL RESISTANCETO CLARITHROMYCIN

Clarithromycin is a promising drug for the treatment of Mycobacterium kansasii infection. We report a patient with AIDS and severe M. kansas ii infection who had previously received a short course of clarithromy cin for sinusitis. He had clinical failure of treatment using clarithr omycin plus ethambutol, and the initial isolate was found to be highly resistant to clarithromycin. Nucleotide sequencing of the 23S rRNA ge ne of this isolate demonstrated a single base mutation at position 205 8, the same as that found in clarithromycin-resistant Mycobacterium av ium. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.