Disseminated Mycobacterium kansasii presenting with skin lesions in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

A patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia developed skin lesions from which Mycobacterium kansasii was cultured. The organism was also recovered from sputum cultures. Twenty-three additional cases of disseminated M kansasii infection are reviewed. This disease tends to occur in patients with altered immune response, and atypical histology of tissue specimens may delay diagnosis and treatment.