Mycobacterium nebraskense as a cause of nodular pulmonary disease

Abstract

Mycobacterium nebraskense is a scotochromogenic mycobacterium first isolated from sputum samples of five patients at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. M. nebraskense was first identified as a pathogen in an immunocompetent host, also in Nebraska. In this case report, we describe a patient with nodular pulmonary disease most likely due to M. nebraskense, who was successfully treated with rifampin and azithromycin, representing the first case in which this organism was a pathogen outside of Nebraska and the first description of successful treatment of this infection.