An Unusual Presentation of Mycobacterium fortuitum: Massive Isolated Empyema in a Patient With HIV. Aref Agheli, MD, LMCC; Mohammad Tehranirad, MD; Richard Cofsky, MD.

Rapid-growing mycobacteria produce nonpigmented mature colonies on agar plates in less than 7 days of incubation and include Mycobacterium fortuitum and the M. chelonae-abscessus group.

Isolation of any mycobacterial species, especially M fortuitum, from sites other than blood has to be evaluated on an individual basis, including the patient"s immune state. This makes the ...