An operated case of Mycobacterium fortuitum infection with hemoptysis

An operated case of M. fortuitum infection on the bronchiectatic lung was presented. A 68-year-old female had had hemoptysis due to bronchiectasis since she was 44 years of age. She had a history of pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 58 and treated by anti-tuberculosis drugs for a year. She was referred to the National Sanatorium Hiroshima Hospital in March 1986 for surgical treatment, when M. fortuitum infection was found. Lobectomy of the right middle lobe, right S6 Segmentectomy and partial resection of right S2 were performed on December 1st 1986. After the operation, hemoptysis disappeared but M. fortuitum was still found in sputum. Chest X-ray examination revealed some new abnormal shadows. When radical surgical treatment for secondary M. fortuitum pulmonary infection is considered careful attention should be given to its indications including the extent of resection and the predicted post-operative pulmonary function.