A case of axillary lymphadenitis caused by Mycobacterium intracellulare in an immunocompetent patient

Junko Itano; Kadoaki Ohashi; Satoru Senoo; Naohiro Oda; Kazuya Nishii; Akihiko Taniguchi; Nobuaki Miyahara; Yoshinobu Maeda; Katsuyuki Kiura

doi:10.1016/j.rmcr.2019.100947

A case of axillary lymphadenitis caused by Mycobacterium intracellulare in an immunocompetent patient

Respir Med Case Rep. 2019 Oct 14:28:100947. doi: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2019.100947. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Junko Itano¹, Kadoaki Ohashi², Satoru Senoo¹, Naohiro Oda¹, Kazuya Nishii¹, Akihiko Taniguchi¹, Nobuaki Miyahara³, Yoshinobu Maeda¹, Katsuyuki Kiura²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
² Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
³ Department of Medical Technology, Okayama University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama, Japan.

Abstract

Axillary lymphadenitis caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria is rare and has been reported in immunocompromised hosts. Herein, we report the case of a 67-year-old man without immunodeficiency who developed right axillary lymphadenitis caused by Mycobacterium intracellulare and showed a small nodular shadow in the left pulmonary apex. Biopsy of the right axillary lymph node revealed several epithelioid granulomas, and the culture of the lymph node aspirate yielded Mycobacterium intracellulare. The lymph node lesion and left lung apex shadow resolved spontaneously after careful outpatient monitoring. This case suggests that axillary lymphadenitis could be caused by Mycobacterium intracellulare in an immunocompetent patient.

Keywords: Axillary lymphadenitis; Mycobacterium avium complex infection; Mycobacterium intracellulare.

Publication types

Case Reports