Mycobacterial infections in Texas children: a 5-year case series.

The epidemiology of nontuberculous mycobacterial infections is poorly understood, particularly in regions where tuberculosis (TB) is endemic. In 5 years, 75 children had nontuberculous mycobacterial disease (30 lymphadenopathy, 17 pulmonary, 17 soft tissue, and 11 bacteremia) and 30 had TB. Divergent antibiotic susceptibility profiles and the persistence of disease caused by TB emphasize the importance of microbiologic diagnosis for suspected mycobacterial disease.