TY - JOUR
T1 - Mycobacterium lentiflavum, a recently identified slow-growing mycobacterial species
T2 - Clinical significance in immunosuppressed cancer patients and summary of reported cases of infection
AU - Safdar, A.
AU - Han, X. Y.
PY - 2005/8
Y1 - 2005/8
N2 - The clinical significance of Mycobacterium lentiflavum, a recently identified nontuberculous mycobacterium, remains uncertain, especially in immunosuppressed cancer patients. The records of all patients in whom M. lentiflavum was identified using a gene sequencing technique between January 2001 and December 2003 were reviewed. The mean age among 12 patients was 51±20 years, and 11 (92%) patients had a hematologic malignancy. Six of seven (86%) hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients had received allogeneic donor grafts. Nine (75%) patients had predisposing risk factors for infection, seven (58%) had severe lymphocytopenia (<400 cells/μl), five (42%) were receiving systemic corticosteroid therapy, and three (25%) had acute graft-versus-host disease. Only 1 of the 12 (8%) patients had evidence of probable pulmonary M. lentiflavum infection. Six M. lentiflavum strains were initially misidentified as Mycobacterium simiae and Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex using traditional biochemical tests. Four M. lentiflavum isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility; they were susceptible to isoniazid, ethambutol, clarithromycin, and amikacin, and resistant to rifampin. M. lentiflavum was not clinically significant, even in these severely immunosuppressed cancer patients.
AB - The clinical significance of Mycobacterium lentiflavum, a recently identified nontuberculous mycobacterium, remains uncertain, especially in immunosuppressed cancer patients. The records of all patients in whom M. lentiflavum was identified using a gene sequencing technique between January 2001 and December 2003 were reviewed. The mean age among 12 patients was 51±20 years, and 11 (92%) patients had a hematologic malignancy. Six of seven (86%) hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients had received allogeneic donor grafts. Nine (75%) patients had predisposing risk factors for infection, seven (58%) had severe lymphocytopenia (<400 cells/μl), five (42%) were receiving systemic corticosteroid therapy, and three (25%) had acute graft-versus-host disease. Only 1 of the 12 (8%) patients had evidence of probable pulmonary M. lentiflavum infection. Six M. lentiflavum strains were initially misidentified as Mycobacterium simiae and Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex using traditional biochemical tests. Four M. lentiflavum isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility; they were susceptible to isoniazid, ethambutol, clarithromycin, and amikacin, and resistant to rifampin. M. lentiflavum was not clinically significant, even in these severely immunosuppressed cancer patients.
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U2 - 10.1007/s10096-005-1375-x
DO - 10.1007/s10096-005-1375-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 16133412
AN - SCOPUS:26244447189
SN - 0934-9723
VL - 24
SP - 554
EP - 558
JO - European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
JF - European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
IS - 8
ER -