Mycobacterial mimicry in a man from Myanmar

A 26yearold refugee from Myanmar was referred to the infectious diseases unit of an Australian teaching hospital for assessment of suspected recurrent pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). He had arrived in Australia 3 months earlier, after spending the preceding 5 years in Malaysia. He was diagnosed with presumed pulmonary TB in Malaysia in 2013, in the context of a productive cough and suspicious chest xray findings, without microbiological confirmation. He completed treatment with 6 months of first line antiTB therapy (2 months of rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide and ethambutol, followed by 4 months of rifampicin and isoniazid).