Mycobacterium genavense: An emerging pathogen

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Abstract
Disseminated mycobacterial infection, often due toMycobacterium avium complex, occurs frequently in patients with AIDS. More recently, a newly identified mycobacterium,Mycobacterium genavense, has been repeatedly isolated from AIDS patients.Mycobacterium genavense has unusual fastidious growth requirements and shows poor and variable growth in vitro. Molecular biology techniques are necessary for accurate diagnosis of infection and have establishedMycobacterium genavense to be a definite cause of disseminated mycobacterial infection in immunosuppressed patients. The clinical manifestations of infection caused byMycobacterium genavense are similar to those of infection caused byMycobacterium avium complex organisms. This similarity in clinical presentation and inherent difficulties in applying standard, culture-based techniques for detection and identification of mycobacteria have probably led to underestimation of the prevalence of disseminatedMycobacterium genavense infection in patients with AIDS.