Open AccessMeningoencephalitis associated with non-tuberculous mycobacteria
Author(s) -
John Philip O’Dwyer,
John Gerard O’Connor,
Hélène McDermott,
S. Sheehan,
Noel Francis Fanning,
Gerard Dan Corcoran,
Brian Sweeney
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
bmj case reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.231
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 1757-790X
DOI - 10.1136/bcr.03.2009.1696
Subject(s) - fastidious organism , medicine , meningoencephalitis , mycobacterium , isolation (microbiology) , pathology , tuberculosis , disease , tuberculous meningitis , cerebrospinal fluid , nontuberculous mycobacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , bacteria , genetics
Non-tuberculous mycobacteria are fastidious, difficult organisms to identify, but are increasingly associated with human disease. We report a case of meningoencephalitis associated with Mycobacterium malmoense and Mycobacterium interjectum co-isolation from cerebrospinal fluid. Recognition of these slow growing mycobacteria is important due to differences from standard mycobacterial treatments. We illustrate the rare occurrence of M malmoense as a central nervous system isolate, appearing almost unique among non-tuberculous mycobacteria.