Prevalence and clinical manifestations of disseminated Mycobacterium aviumcomplex infection in South Africans with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

In a sample of 100 hospitalized human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive b lack South African patients with CD4 cell counts of <100 cells/mm(3), the p oint prevalence of disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex infection was 1 0%, in contrast with other African studies that report that the infection i s uncommon. The point prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was 54%. The clinical and laboratory features of these patients were largely unhelpful in detecting M. avium complex; the BACTEC blood culture (Becton Dickinson) was the only reliable method.