Mycobacterium kansasii infections in patients positive for human immunodeficiency virus.

The experience with Mycobacterium kansasii infections in patients who are infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas is presented, and the literature on such infections is reviewed. The absolute and relative paucity of reports of M. kansasii infections in HIV-positive patients is emphasized. M. kansasii infections in HIV-positive patients are classified as either pulmonary or disseminated. Evidence of the lack of therapeutic response in patients with disseminated infections and of the potential for therapeutic response in patients with infections limited to the lung is reviewed and documented. Other unresolved diagnostic and therapeutic issues concerning M. kansasii infections in HIV-positive patients are reviewed.