We report here the first case of pulmonary infection due to Mycobacterium kyorinense in a 55-year-old hypertensive woman treated for pulmonary tuberculosis earlier on two occasions. She presented with productive cough, intermittent episode of left-sided chest pain, loss of appetite, low-grade fever, and breathlessness. Sputum cultures revealed non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). She remained persistently symptomatic with sputum cultures positive for acid-fast bacilli even after 6 months of treatment. Hence, a 16SrRNA gene amplification and sequencing were done that revealed M. kyorinense. Based on the guidelines of the American Thoracic Society, she was started on weight-based dosing of clarithromycin, levofloxacin, ethambutol, isoniazid and injection amikacin daily. The patient improved symptomatically and became culture-negative after 3 months of therapy with the above regimen and continued to be culture negative for 12 months of treatment. She continues to remain symptom-free without evidence of any clinical or bacteriological relapse.
Keywords: 16SrRNA; non-tuberculous mycobacteria; rifampicin resistance.