Disseminated M. kansasii infection in a patient with chronic granulocytic leukemia.

Abstract

Atypical mycobacteria are classified into four groups: Group I, the photochromogens, produce a yellow pigment on exposure to light; Group II, the scotochromogens, produce a yellow pigment in the dark; Group III, the nonchromogens, produce no pigment, and Group IV may or may not produce pigment but is characterized by rapid growth (“rapid growers”). All can produce disease in humans which is most frequently pulmonary but may affect lymph nodes, bone, meninges, and other organs. The clinical picture may be indistinguishable from disease caused by M. hominis. Disseminated disease is infrequent and we have been able to find only 21 such cases in the literature. A case of disseminated disease caused by M. kansasii, a Group I organism, in a patient with chronic granulocytic leukemia, is the object of this report. The clinical and laboratory features of these cases. are reviewed. Tuberculosis seems to occur more often in patients with CGL than in other leukemias. The pathophysiologic significance of the defective stem cell concept in the concurrence of these conditions is discussed.