Vinh Huy, Sutaria Nirja, Adlakha Arun
Family Medicine, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Spartanburg, USA.
Internal Medicine, Atrium Health, Charlotte, USA.
Cureus. 2025 Jun 29;17(6):e86982. doi: 10.7759/cureus.86982. eCollection 2025 Jun.
is a non-tuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) shown to be a human pathogen in recent years. Here, we present a rare case of pulmonary infection caused by in a 69-year-old female patient who presented with symptoms, initially thought to be from a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. From our literature review, this is a case of presenting as a human pathogen. The patient's medical history included COPD, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and obesity. Her medical management included inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)/ long-acting beta-agonist (LABA), long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), and nocturnal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. For her acute worsening of symptoms, she was treated with oral ciprofloxacin and prednisone for possible COPD exacerbation from presumed pneumonia. However, she showed no improvement in her pulmonary symptoms. Follow-up computed tomography (CT) imaging of the chest showed new scattered "Tree in Bud" opacities. Sputum studies and acid-fast bacilli (AFB) cultures revealed the growth of She was treated with a combination of oral clarithromycin, moxifloxacin, and rifabutin. This case highlights the importance of keeping atypical mycobacteria, such as NTM, as a cause of pulmonary infection in the differential diagnosis, particularly in patients with chronic pulmonary conditions who present with persistent and/or unexplained respiratory symptoms. Early identification is crucial for appropriate treatment to improve patient outcomes.
是一种近年来被证明为人病原体的非结核分枝杆菌（NTM）。在此，我们报告一例69岁女性患者由其引起的肺部感染罕见病例，该患者最初出现的症状被认为是慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）加重所致。通过我们的文献回顾，这是一例表现为人病原体的病例。患者的病史包括COPD、阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA）和肥胖。她的药物治疗包括吸入性糖皮质激素（ICS）/长效β受体激动剂（LABA）、长效毒蕈碱拮抗剂（LAMA）以及夜间持续气道正压通气（CPAP）设备。对于她症状的急性加重，因推测肺炎可能导致COPD加重，她接受了口服环丙沙星和泼尼松治疗。然而，她的肺部症状并无改善。胸部的后续计算机断层扫描（CT）成像显示出现了新的散在“树芽征”混浊。痰液检查和抗酸杆菌（AFB）培养显示 的生长。她接受了口服克拉霉素、莫西沙星和利福布汀的联合治疗。该病例强调了在鉴别诊断中将非典型分枝杆菌（如NTM）作为肺部感染病因的重要性，特别是对于患有慢性肺部疾病且出现持续和/或无法解释的呼吸道症状的患者。早期识别对于采取适当治疗以改善患者预后至关重要。
