Suppurative cervical adenitis caused by opportunist mycobacterium

Of 45 consecutive submandibular abscesses treated by external drainage in a district oral surgery unit, four cases, representing nearly 9% of the sample, were caused by opportunist Mycobacterium avian-intracellulare, an organism known to give a poor response to all known antimycobacterial chemotherapeutic agents. Treatment by excision of the diseased tissue is indicated in these cases. The diagnosis and management of these conditions is discussed.