Cervical lymphadenitis due to an unusual mycobacterium

A scotochromogenic acid-fast bacillus was isolated from a lymph node of a 2-year-old female. On the basis of conventional testing, the mycobacterium appeared to beMycobacterium scrofulaceum. Its mycolic acid profile, however, was not identical to that ofMycobacterium scrofulaceum but was similar to that ofMycobacterium interjectum. Direct sequencing of the 16S rRNA genie revealed a unique nucleic acid sequence, suggesting that the isolate represents a previously undescribed pathogenic species.