Molecular identification of Mycobacterium chimaera as a cause of infection in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

This report describes a case of Mycobacterium chimaera infection in a patient with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease where the organism was identified by using molecular methods. K chimaera was identified from fresh lung tissue and from an instrument-negative mycobacterial growth indicator tube broth culture. The utility Of Using sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region for the rapid identification of a slow-growing nontuberculous Mycobacterium spp. where conventional culture methods were not successful was shown. (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.