Disseminated Mycobacterium haemophilum infection

SummaryMycobacterium haemophilum is a slow-growing organism first identified in 1978. Since that time, it has emerged as an unusual pathogen, but one that is identified increasingly, mainly affecting immunocompromised patients and healthy children. The range of disease caused by this organism includes skin and soft-tissue infections, pulmonary infections, lymphadenitis, and frequently, bone and joint infections. Laboratory identification of M haemophilum needs special culture techniques and media and can be difficult in a setting at which these methods are not routinely used. We describe a case of chronic, disseminated M haemophilum infection in a patient with AIDS, and we review published work.