Fatal pericarditis due to Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

A 27-year-old white male homosexual with AIDS presented 19 months after the initial diagnosis with persistent fever, marked dyspnea at rest, and severe substernal pain in the chest. A pericardial friction rub was auscultated, and an effusion was demonstrated echocardiographically. Pericardiocentesis yielded 220 ml of serosanguinous fluid. Special stains of the fluid for microorganisms were negative. A mycobacterial infection was suspected, and therapy with multiple antimycobacterial agents was initiated. Cultures of the fluid eventually yielded MAI. Despite therapy, cardiac function declined, and the patient died two months after presentation. Autopsy confirmed the diagnosis of chronic pericarditis due to MAI. Pericarditis due to MAI should be included in the differential diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction in patients with AIDS.