Pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteriosis showing wandering shadows in chest roentgenograms.

The case of a 68-year-old woman with pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteriosis, whose chest roentgenograms showed unusual wandering shadows on separate occasions, is presented. Acid-fast bacilli were detected in her sputa and by bronchial washing, and were identified as Mycobacterium chelonae, subspecies abscessus. The findings of computed tomography and transbronchial lung biopsy were also unique because of multiple peribronchial inflammations. Chemotherapy with anti-tuberculosis agents and a new quinolone drug was successful in this case.