Tuberculin Negative Tuberculosis1–3

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Abstract
A retrospective study of 167 patients discharged from a tuberculosis unit revealed 16 patients with mycobacterial disease associated initially with no reaction to 5 TU of PPD-S. In 6 patients, the causative organism was Mycobacterium tuberculosis; in the remaining 10, the infectious agent was identified as an atypical Mycobacterium. Patients whose disease was diagnosed as being due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis presented with minimal, nonprogressive disease. Patients with disease due to atypical mycobacteria generally had advanced disease. The patients in this latter group represented all the patients recognized as having atypical mycobacterial disease during the period of this survey. Atypical mycobacteriosis is not commonly included in the differential diagnosis of tuberculin negative tuberculosis. An outline of the diagnostic considerations necessary to establish the clinical diagnosis of atypical mycobacteriosis is suggested.

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