Pulmonary Mycobacterium kyorinense disease showed clinical improvement following combined therapy with clarithromycin and levofloxacin

Abstract

A 63-year-old man with a past history of resection of pulmonary adenocarcinoma and COPD visited our hospital because of fever, cough and purulent sputum. Chest CT showed an infiltration shadow with multiple bullae in the right lung. There was a slight elevation of the inflammatory response. We established a definitive diagnosis by frequent isolation of Mycobacterium kyorinense on a sputum culture test of acid-fast bacilli. Clarithromycin and levofloxacin were administered after identification of M. kyorinense using a 16S rRNA gene sequence. Subsequently his symptoms improved following combined therapy with clarithromycin and levofloxacin. © 2012 The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine.