A rare case of lymphadenitis and pulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium paraffinicum

With over 150 species, non‐tuberculous mycobacteria are increasingly recognized to be important human pathogens that pose diagnostic and management challenges. We report a rare case of cervical lymphadenitis and pulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium paraffinicum in a 64‐year‐old man who presented with three‐month history of increasing right‐sided painless neck lump. His medical history included rheumatoid arthritis, which was managed with leflunomide and methotrexate. Computed tomography scans of his neck and thorax revealed a right lower neck and supraclavicular fossa cystic mass with peripheral enhancement and bilateral multiple small pulmonary nodules. M. paraffinicum was cultured from a fine‐needle aspiration of the mass. Two out of three sputa were acid‐fast bacilli smear positive but cultures did not yield any viable organism. He developed spontaneous discharge of purulent material via a sinus, which drained over two months and recovered with a completely healed sinus without any further treatment. With over 150 species, non‐tuberculous mycobacteria are increasingly recognized to be important human pathogens that pose diagnostic and management challenges. We report a rare case of cervical lymphadenitis and pulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium paraffinicum.