Six Cases of Pulmonary Mycobacterium shinjukuense Infection at a Single Hospital.

Mycobacterium shinjukuense lung disease was diagnosed in 3 men and 3 women [mean age: 77.0±12.2 (57-93) years]. On imaging, 3 patients with previous pulmonary tuberculosis exhibited a fibrocavitary pattern, while the other 3 patients showed nodular bronchiectasis. A test with a tuberculosis rRNA identification kit (TRC Rapid(®) M. TB) was falsely positive for M. tuberculosis due to DNA sequence similarity in 16SrRNA. M. shinjukuense was identified by the gene sequences of rpoB, 16S rRNA, and hsp65. The symptoms and imaging findings of most of the patients have improved with chemotherapy with low minimum inhibitory concentrations of anti-tuberculosis drugs.