Case report: a rare case of chylous ascites from Mycobacterium avium intracellulare in a patient with AIDS: review of the literature.

Chylous ascites is a rare complication of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Although it is most commonly associated with lymphoma, it has been reported in patients with Kaposi's sarcoma. There has been only one case reported of chyloperitoneum occurring in a pediatric patient as a result of Mycobacterium avium intracellulare (MAI). We report the first case of an adult patient with chylous ascites resulting as a complication of MAI. Chylous ascites (chyloperitoneum) is a rare complication of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Only two cases of chylous ascites associated with AIDS have been reported in the literature (1, 2). In one case, chylous ascites was attributed to extensive abnormal Kaposi's sarcoma (1). In the second case, a 2-year-old child with Mycobacterium avium intracellulare (MAI) developed chylous ascites. (2) We report the first adult case of AIDS which has been complicated by a MAI infection causing mesenteric lymphadenopathy and chylous ascites.