A Case of Non -Tubercular Mycobacterium - M. Chimeria Infection of the Lungs-A Rare and Difficult Entity to Treat

Abstract

Background
Non tubercular mycobacterium encompasses more than 200 species of ubiquitous environmental pathogens which causes infections in humans. Known mostly to cause disease in debilitated or immunocompromised patients, it has been known to cause diseases in healthy adults also especially if they have any chronic conditions like chronic lung disease or cardiac disease or are immunosuppressed. The possibility of NTM lung infections should be considered in any patient who presents with a long duration of cough, shortness of breath, Fever and Acid fast bacilli in the sputum who tests negative for Gene Xpert or PCR for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We describe here a case of NTM infection (M. Chimera) of the lungs in a middle age female who presented to our center.