Mycobacterium gordonae and rapidly growing "atypical" mycobacteria including Mycobacterium chelonae are commonly found in tap water. This article describes a pseudo-outbreak of M chelonae infections related to bronchoscopy. Because patients may be treated and isolated unnecessarily when positive with acid-fast bacilli before the species are known, the financial burden for patients and hospitals may be great.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Cox et al. (1997) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 4 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: