Non tuberculous mycobacterium peritonitis in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

A forty-five-year old Saudi lady who had been on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) for three years, was admitted with a clinical picture of night fever, sweating, weight loss and turbid peritoneal fluid (PF). The PF had a high cell count, predominantly neutrophils. This condition failed to respond to a standard vancomycin-gentamycin treatment, and acid fast bacilli (AFBs) were stained from the PF. The patient was commenced on antituberculous treatment and the Tenckhoff catheter was removed. She was shifted to haemodialysis and recovered fully. Later, the AFBs were identified as a strain of mycobacterium fortuitum.