[Investigation of the cases due to Mycobacterium kansasii in our hospital].

A clinical study of 23 patients with Mycobacterium kansasii infection of the lung encountered at National Chiba Higashi Hospital from 1988 to 1990 was carried out. All 23 cases were male, aged from 25 to 81 years-old. Diagnoses were confirmed by sputum culture. The cases consisted of 15 primary infections and 8 secondary infections. Out of the 23 cases, 11 were detected by mass screening with chest X-ray findings, 10 cases were discovered when visiting the hospital because of chest complications and two cases were diagnosed during the observation of other diseases. On admission, sputum smear examinations were positive for 15 patients and negative for 8 patients. Chest X-ray findings using the roentgenological classification criterion for pulmonary tuberculosis established by the Japanese Society for Tuberculosis, 20 cases revealed a Type II shadow and three cases revealed a Type III shadow. One patient has died from another disease, two are undergoing chemotherapy, two have ceased chemotherapy treatment, and 18 patients have completed the treatment, Sputum cultures rapidly turned to negative for mycobacterium detection after chemotherapy treatment. The prognosis is considered to be quite good.