A Case of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis Caused by Mycobacterium terrae in a Fishery Worker / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by exposure to non-tuberculous mycobacteria in indoor hot tubs has been called "hot tub lung." Most of these cases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis were, in fact, caused by Mycobacterium avium complex. We describe a case of hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by M. terrae. A 54-year-old man presented with a 4-month history of exertional dyspnea, cough, and sputum. The patient had been working in a fishery for 5 years. Approximately 3 months before the onset of symptoms, he began working at another fishery. His chest CT scans showed diffuse ground-glass opacities with multifocal air trappings and centrilobular nodules in both lungs. Transbronchial lung biopsy specimens revealed hypersensitivity pneumonitis. M. terrae was isolated from a mycobacterial culture of his sputum and the water at the fishery.