Mycobacterium genavense Infections in Immunocompromised Patients Without HIV: Case Series of Solid Organ Transplant Patients and Literature Review

Mycobacterium genavense infection is rare and can occur in immunocompromised patients without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

We describe 2 cases of M genavense infection in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, and we performed a literature review of immunocompromised patients without HIV.

Fifty-two cases are reported. Predisposing factors were receipt of SOT (40.4%) and autoimmune disease (36.5%). Infection was disseminated in 86.5% of cases. Organs involved were lymph nodes (72.3%), gastrointestinal tract (56.5%), lung (35.5%), and bone marrow (28.8%). Most patients were treated with at least 3 antimycobacterial agents (98%), with a clinical cure achieved in 54.9%. In multivariate analysis, lack for cure was associated with age of the time infection (odds ratio [OR], 15.81 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 2.92-152.93]; P = .011) and positive bone marrow culture (OR, 1.05 [95% CI, 1.01-1.12]; P = .042).

Mycobacterium genavense infection is a rare and generally disseminated disease with a poor prognosis. Optimal treatment regimen and its duration remain to be defined.