ATYPICAL MYCOBACTERIA IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

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Abstract
In an investigation covering the period 1959 to 1963, 460 patients excreted atypical mycobacteria. Some of these patients produced more than one strain of organism. Four hundred and eighty-one organisms were identified. Seventy percent of the isolations occurred only once or twice in casual specimens, and 74.4% were Battey bacilli. Atypical mycobacteria in Western Australia are of low virulence for guinea-pigs and low susceptibility to standard antituberculosis drugs. Most of the patients in this series were males in the older age groups. Patients with silicosis were more likely to harbor the organisms. Very few mycobacteria were recovered from patients with normal chest films. Of the 460 patients, 78 satisfied strict criteria for a diagnosis of pseudo-tuberculosis. Sixty-six patients had pulmonary disease, and 12 had lymph node disease. A Battey organism was responsible for 84.6% of the infections, and 12.8% were caused by a scotochromogen.

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