Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 10, Number 5—May 2004
Dispatch

Mycobacterium africanum Cases, California

Edward Desmond*Comments to Author , Ameena T. Ahmed*, William S. Probert*, Janet Ely*, Yvonne Jang*, Cynthia A. Sanders*, Shou-Yean Lin*, and Jennifer Flood*
Author affiliations: *California Department of Health Services, Berkeley, California

Main Article

Table 1

Clinical characteristics of patients with Mycobacterium africanum disease

Patient Demographic characteristics Signs and symptoms Clinical characteristics Treatmenta Outcome
A
 25-y-old black South African man with recent travel to West Africa
 3 months’ productive cough, weight loss, and low-grade fever
 Large left upper lobe infiltrate on chest radiograph
 INH, rifampin, PZA, and ethambutol by directly observed therapy for 6 months
 Resolution of symptoms and improvement of chest radiograph
B
 34-y-old black West African woman recently arrived in U.S. with metastatic carcinoma, treated with chemotherapy one year prior to presentation.
 2 months’ cough, fever, night sweats, fatigue
 Right lower lobe cavitation, streaky infiltrates bilaterally on chest radiograph, normocytic anemia
 INH, rifampin, PZA, and ethambutol by DOT
 Sputum culture negative after 2 weeks of therapy. Only modest improvement in chest radiograph. Returned to West Africa after 4 months DOT
C
 26-y-old black South African, immigrated to U.S. 2 y before diagnosis
 Unknown
 Cavitary lesion on chest radiograph
 INH, rifampin, PZA, and ethambutol by DOT for 6 months
 Sputum culture and smear negative, chest radiograph improved
D
 26-y-old Vietnamese man, immigrated to U.S. 6 y before diagnosis. No history of travel to Africa or African contacts with tuberculosis
 2 weeks’ productive cough, positive PPD
 Unknown
 Capreomycin, ofloxacin, PAS, clofazamine, and cycloserine for 2 y by DOT
 Sputum smear and culture converted to negative, symptoms resolved. Free of disease 2 y after therapy completed
E 27-y-old U.S.-born black man with no known risk factors for tuberculosis infection. No history of travel to Africa or African contacts with tuberculosis 2 months’ anorexia and weight loss; 1 month of cough and night sweats; 1 week of fever and abdominal pain Normal chest radiograph results. Pancreatic cyst and fullness of left psoas muscle on CT scan INH, rifampin, PZA, and ethambutol for 10 months by DOT Symptoms resolved. Free of disease 1 y after therapy completed

aINH, izoniazid; PZA, pyrazinamide; DOT, directly observed therapy; CT, computerized tomography, PPD, purified protein derivative; PAS, para-aminosalicylic acid.

Main Article

Page created: June 14, 2011
Page updated: June 14, 2011
Page reviewed: June 14, 2011
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external