Mycobacterium chelonae lung disease masquerading as Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a TB endemic country

Mycobacterium chelonae typically affect skin and soft tissue. Pleural involvement by this organism is exceedingly rare. A young female presented with persistent respiratory complaints along with constitutional symptoms. She had already been treated with standard anti-tubercular therapy with inadequate response and had a recent onset of worsening of her symptoms. A detailed evaluation revealed M. chelonae and she responded well to antimicrobials. We report a case of Mycobacterium chelonae lung disease in an immunocompetent patient and its successful management. High index of suspicion with a correct etiological diagnosis is the need of the hour in current era of drug resistance.