Correspondence: Ignacio Español, M.D., Laboratoris Folguera, c/ Aribau 212-216, entl 3a, 08006 Barcelona, Spain. Phone: international +34-93-4143481 – Fax: international +34-932021341. was low: 20 mg/dL. A very high reticulocyte count was detected by two different automated counters (Figure 1), but only one reported a staining error. A crisis of hemolytic anemia or an error in the automated ret...

BACKGROUND We report unfavorable outcome in a patient with subretinal granuloma caused by dual infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex with Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium bovis in an immunosuppressed, non-HIV patient. We did a systematic review of literature on dual infection due to M. tuberculosis and M. fortuitum via MEDLINE and PUBMED and could not find any case reported o...

To the Editor: Mycobacterium tuberculosis has >36 identifi ed genotype families (1). Four genotypes cause 35% of documented cases of active tuberculosis (TB): Beijing (10%– 11%), Latin American–Mediterranean (9.3%), Haarlem (7.5%), and the X clade (7%) (1,2) The Beijing clade strains, reported in 1995 from the Peo-ple's Republic of China, are widely recognized as highly pathogenic with a possib...

Recent advances in computing and developments in technology have facilitated the routine collection and storage of medical data that can be used to support medical decisions. In most cases however, there is a need for the collected data to be analysed in order for a medical decision to be drawn, whether this involves diagnosis, prediction, course of treatment, or signal and image analysis. Inte...

Direct evidence of Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABSC) biofilm in the human lung has not previously been demonstrated. Biofilms are microcolonies of bacteria, imbedded in extracellular matrix, providing stability and tolerance to antibiotics and the body’s innate and adaptive defences [1]. This mode of growth is an inherent feature of chronic infections and is particularly well studied for ...

Case Reports (Dr R F Miller) Case 1 A 25 year old Caucasian heterosexual man was found to be HIV I antibody positive in July 1989, when he presented to another hospital with cryptococcal meningitis. At this time his CD4+ count was 190 (normal range = 350-2,200)/mm3. Investigations showed normal urea and electrolyte levels and liver function tests; CT of the head was normal. Blood and urine cult...

To the Editor: Mycobacterium haemophilum is an aerobic, slowgrowing microorganism with optimal growth at 30°C to 32°C. It has a unique requirement for ferric iron–containing compounds (1), from which it acquired its name (i.e., haemophilum). Infections with M. haemophilum are rare, but cervicofacial lymphadenitis caused by M. haemophilum has been described in children (2). Besides cervicofacial...

MRI Unit, Department of Imaging, Middlesex Hospital, London WlN 8AA R J S Chinn Correspondence to: Dr R F Miller, Department of Medicine, UCLMS, Middlesex Hospital, London WIN 8AA, UK. Accepted for publication 7 June 1994 Case presentations (Dr R F Miller) Case 1 A 56 year old right handed Caucasian homosexual unemployed laboratory technician was admitted as an emergency in March 1993 via the a...

Roggenkamp and colleagues recently reported the results of their comparative evaluation of the MB/BacT and the BACTEC 460 (3). They observed a significantly lower recovery rate for Mycobacterium tuberculosis using the MB/BacT, and they commented that new diagnostic systems should be evaluated under conditions found in nonspecialized laboratories that have a low rate of detection of specimens po...