Urinary mycobacterium avium presenting as sterile pyuria

Abstract

A 65-year-old healthy woman presented with persistent, asymptomatic sterile pyuria detected by her family physician. While she did not have symptoms, the patient recounts that she has had cloudy urine for years. Cultures of the urine for bacteria showed no growth and no fungi were identified. First-morning urine samples were sent for both tuberculosis and nontuberculosis mycobacterium species testing. The culture grew genotypically identified Mycobaterium avium complex (MAC). Mantoux skin testing was positive. No urological abnormalities were detected by ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) imaging of the urinary tract.