Pulmonary Mycobacterium gordonae Infection in a Two-Year-Old Child: Case Report

Infection and neoplasia should be considered in the differential diagnosis when extensive pulmonary disease with bilateral pleural effusions and hilar adenopathy is present in a patient with fever and dyspnea. Although pulmonary disease is more often attributable to a single etiology, it is not unusual for infection to accompany a neoplasm. Mycobacterium gordonae is usually considered a non-pathogenic commensal, but it has been recognized as a pathogen in immunosuppressed patients. We describe what is, to our knowledge, the first case of pulmonary disease due to M. gordonae in a child.